To Reveal All
by steelphoenix
Summary: AU fic: Kaoru's been friends with Kenshin for a year, but what's a geisha to do when Battousai reveals himself, and Kenshin proposes! [COMPLETE WITH EPILOGUE! This is close to R in two chapters, but the rest is PG-13]
1. Revealing Beginnings

**To Reveal All**

**Chapter 1: Revealing Beginnings**

**By steelphoenix**

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**Disclaimer:** I don't own Rurouni Kenshin, or the characters therein. Wish I did, but don't. However, I own the plot of this fic, and any characters I happen to invent as part of it! W00t! 

**Author's Notes: **This is my first ever multi-chapter fic. It's actually the result of a bet from a friend that I couldn't write anything H, or at least R-rated… Kekeke. How wrong they were. I know it's pretty tame compared to some of the other stuff here, but anyway… it's the thought that counts /wink!

This is very definitely an AU fic. It's in a similar world, i.e. 11th year of the Meiji (1876), Tokyo, Japan, but there's significant differences – you'll see one of them the moment you read the first paragraph! I like AUs, they allow you freer rein with the timelines. Sorry if you don't like that sort of thing.

I love KxK stuff, so that's the base coupling. I may bring in some SxM, but that's only if I feel like it…

I warn you: some… okay, most, of the characters, are OOC. I've tried to keep those characteristics which show best what we love (or hate) about them all. This isn't easy! Please bear with me – and remember: this is an AU fic, and environment alters character, so I may not have interpreted the characters the way you like them to be!

Er… have played with ages a little. Yahiko's is the largest change, so that he's seventeen in the body of the fic.

About the title, and the chapter names: The title, 'To Reveal All' was from a moment of inspiration halfway through writing the second chapter (most of which is written /embarrassed laugh/). I realised that this fic is mostly about the revelation of feelings, and Kenshin's identity as the Battousai. It seemed right that the chapters should agree, and also be 'Revealing'.

Anyway, enough of my rambling! Read the fic!

**Language Notes:** I don't do fangirl Japanese… except for Kenshin calling Kaoru 'Kaoru-dono'. I left that because it's hard to translate, and Kenshin calling Kaoru 'Lady Kaoru' just didn't fit.

Bakumatsu – The revolution which removed the power of the Shogun, and transferred it back to the Emperor. Also called the 'Meiji Revolution' or 'Meiji Restoration'.

Sokatana is an invented town, but is modelled after various hot springs towns.

A danna is the patron and prime client of a geisha. He pays her living expenses, and may give her gifts of jewellery or kimono. This means that he can claim not only primary rights to a geisha's entertainment, but can claim sexual favours from her also.

All thoughts are in _italics_.

**Warnings:** Presently rated PG-13. May be R for sexual situations/scenes and violence in later chapters. No language warnings.

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It was the 10th year of the Meiji Era. 

This era was founded in fire and blood, during the deadly Bakumatsu, the Revolution. This was a turbulent time when the Imperialists and the Shogunate fought for the future of Japan. Ultimately, the Imperialists won, bringing an end to the legend of the samurai.

With the end of this legend came the downfall of many samurai, reduced to poverty by the fall of their lords and the loss of their livelihood as warriors. Many proud samurai were forced to work as mercenaries or bodyguards, and many women, the blood of generations of warriors in their veins, became of necessity prostitutes or geishas, women to entertain the increasingly prosperous merchant class.

Such was the case of young Kamiya Kaoru. Her family, of the Tokyo samurais, had never been rich, just modestly endowed, and the end of the Bakumatsu saw them in poverty. Kaoru's mother had died during the Bakumatsu, caught in the middle of a street battle. Her father had died in the 6th year of the Meiji, in an epidemic of influenza.

Though a good man, Kamiya Koshijirou left considerable gambling debts, and, to recover the money lost by his death, his creditors sold his children. Kaoru, then thirteen, was pretty, and the mistress of an okiya – a geishas' house – had decided that she might have potential as a future geisha. Yahiko, at eleven, was a precocious child, but he was selling for a cheap price, and Kaoru refused to let go of him, so she bought him too, as a kitchen boy for the okiya.

The mistress' hope had paid off. Kaoru did indeed have promise. She progressed fast in her lessons, and at fifteen, she became a meiko, or apprentice geisha. Megumi, an older geisha who lived at the same okiya, had taken her on as a 'younger sister' – she would guide Kaoru, introducing her to good clients, teaching her tricks of the trade, and generally assisting her, for which she would be paid a portion of Kaoru's earnings.

---

The early morning was quiet and still, dawn barely risen, and an almost-cloudless sky promising a clear spring day. Kaoru was relaxing in the expansive hot springs that the town of Sokatana was famous for. Her 'elder sister', Megumi, had been invited here by her danna, to come to a banquet he was hosting in the town. Naturally enough, he had extended the invitation to her 'younger sisters', Kaoru and Tae. They had accepted, and now the three of them were enjoying the sights and luxuries of the hot springs.

_Or we would be, if the others weren't still in bed…_ thought the eightenn-year-old to herself, smiling fondly at the picture the other two had presented when she left the room. Tae had been curled in a tiny ball on her side, and Kaoru had smiled in recollection at the wonder on the younger girl's face when she saw the magnificence of the hotel that their party would be staying in.

Megumi had been sprawled over her futon, covers everywhere, but still managing to keep her head on the high pillow, and hairstyle intact. Kaoru had always envied Megumi's hair – the waxed hairstyles of the geisha, that remained in place for days, had always seemed to be flawless on Megumi, where they went wonky, or unstuck, on Kaoru.

Kaoru's occasional air of slight untidiness had put off some clients. They wanted a geisha to be perfect – witty, graceful, and accomplished, and not have one hairpin lopsided, or a chignon out of place. Other geishas had frequently mocked her for this, and no matter how she tried, she hadn't been able to rid herself of the stigma of being the 'Messy Girl'.

_And what's worse than mocking me for being untidy, they mock me for my love of the sword._ At one of her first parties, Kaoru had impulsively made the unpardonable mistake of letting slip that she practised the sword. While this enchanted her client, it put her forever at risk of being labelled as 'too masculine' or 'too coarse'. Megumi hadn't spoken to her for days after this major faux pas.

With a weary sigh, Kaoru let her shoulders slump, feeling defeated, but still, she was determined to continue with the sword. _I can't let our family's style die_.She owed it to her father and ancestors to practice, and maintain, the Kamiya Kasshin style. Kaoru could not abandon it, merely because she was a woman or a geisha.

Her father had begun teaching the Kamiya Kasshin sword style to both his children almost as soon as they could walk, so that by the age of twelve, they both knew all the techniques associated with it.

_Well, it does no good to dwell on something you can't change,_ Kaoru thought, sighing. She stood up, rising from the steaming waters of the outdoor bath, a goddess wreathed in mist. Her wet ebony hair, let down and washed prior to a visit to the hairdresser's, swished heavily to one side. Then, with a shiver, she ducked back under the water. _It's _far_ too cold to get out yet._

Behind her, unnoticed, the sliding screen that blocked the view of the men's changing room slid open, and a towel-wrapped man stepped down into the water. He paused as he saw Kaoru's naked form in the mist, then, with an appreciative grin, slipped down to sit on a nearby rock, watching her.

As she slowly breast-stroked across the pool, the man continued to watch her. The clear spring water did little to hide her form, but as she thought she was alone, she paid it no mind. She didn't get to swim often, and she sighed in pleasure at the sheer freedom of the water's caress.

As she came to the edge of the pool, and turned to stroke back across, she saw the man watching her. Realising with a flush how exposed she was, she sunk into the water, until only her face was exposed above the warm surface. The man hopped off the rock and began wading towards her.

He was handsome. Tall – too tall for her tastes, but never mind – with a shaggy rooster-comb of dark brown hair, and dark eyes. His body was fit and well-muscled. _Hmm. A fighter, then,_ thought Kaoru. It was easy to tell the men that were fighters, who were in training, or who had never touched the floor of a _dojo_ in their life.

"Good morning, sir. Are you well this morning?" she asked, in the smooth, feminine tones that she had been practising for the last three years.

"Yes." The man's reply was brief, but the smile that accompanied was genuine and warm. _He seems nice enough,_ thought Kaoru.

"I am Kaoru, a geisha of Tokyo. Would you like me to entertain you at a teahouse of your choice tonight?"

"Yes, that would be – " The man was interrupted by a shout.

"Sano! No geishas! We cannot afford it!" A brief glance at the source of the shout revealed another man wading towards the two. He was shorter than his friend, just above Kaoru's height. But that wasn't what Kaoru noticed first – it was the thatch of brilliant red hair that adorned his head and flowed over his shoulders, and the unusual cross-shaped scar on his left cheek. Unlikely luminous violet eyes shone, and his grin was infectious. A towel was wrapped around his waist, but what Kaoru could see was chiselled and smooth except for some minor scars, even more perfect than his friend's. A flicker of interest and attraction shone in Kaoru's heart for a minute before she banished it.

"I am sorry, Miss, but this one has the purse strings for our party, and Sano would spend it all if this one did not restrain him." The man's voice was cheerful, and slightly teasing as he directed the last half of the sentence at his friend. With a swish of water, he slid into the water by the two.

"Then would you like to join me tonight?" smiled Kaoru, trying to use the gentle, seductive voice that she knew few men could resist.

The teasing grin was wiped off the redhead's face, and was replaced momentarily by a flash of what Kaoru thought was desire. Then the smiling face returned, and the man replied, "This one is afraid that that is not possible, Miss…?"

"Kaoru, Kamiya Kaoru," replied the geisha. She had seen that sudden desire – or was it sadness? – she couldn't be sure of it now – and she knew that it might be a chance.

"This one is Himura Kenshin, and this one's friend is Sagara Sanosuke." The redhead replied. He bowed, and Kaoru returned the bow in the water, smiling tantalisingly.

Kaoru rose from the bow slowly, keeping the charming smile in place. _Well, if he's the one holding the purse strings, he's the one I need to pay attention to,_ she reasoned.

"So why are you gentlemen in Sokatana?" she asked, directing her gaze at Himura.

"We are merely travelling through," he replied, smiling gently. "We are headed for Tokyo, though. We intend to start a dojo."

"Ah!" Kaoru smiled. It was unusual to meet people who were starting a dojo – most were already established. "What style?"

"Hiten Mitsurugi Style," replied Himura. "Do you know something of swords, then?"

"I'm a fully trained swordswoman. In the Kamiya Kasshin Style." This statement produced incredulous looks from both men, and a sudden realisation – _You've done it again! You've mentioned the fact that you practise swords again! STUPID!_

"You're a _fully trained swordswoman,_ and you're working as a _geisha_?" said Sagara, his scepticism apparent on his face, and apparently too shocked to notice the fact that she had committed a blunder.

"You can't live by the sword these days," sighed Kaoru, sadly, yelling at herself internally, "And a woman couldn't, anyway."

Sagara fidgeted, embarrassed by her air of quiet resignation. "Alright, sorry, sorry…"

Himura seemed more interested in the sword style. "Kamiya Kasshin Style? This one has not heard of that."

_Perhaps I can salvage this situation!_ Kaoru thought, a little relief showing through the panic in her mind, caused by her mistake. "It is not very well-known. It was created by my great-grandfather, and has been passed through generations to my brother and myself. It is 'The Sword That Protects', and is based on the protection of others as its ultimate goal."

" 'The Sword That Protects'. A good idea, that it is," said Himura, smiling charmingly. "This one would like to live by such a code, also." Kaoru returned the smile, thinking, _A common interest – maybe I can secure him as a client – there's nothing men like better than to talk about their interests!_

Kaoru never got to carry out her plan of snaring Himura as a client, because she was interrupted by a sixteen-year-old ball of energy galloping into the water, splashing clumsily over to the group, tripping on an unseen rock, and cannoning into Himura.

"Oro!" SPLASH!

Yahiko had been taken on this trip as a basic servant – to carry bags, go on errands, and generally do anyone's bidding at any time. Under threat of violence from Kaoru, he'd promised to behave. So far he'd managed to keep out of trouble.

Apparently this promising trend was now broken.

Yahiko's momentum had knocked both him and Himura under the water. As they surfaced, spluttering, Himura grabbed Yahiko.

"What did you think you were doing? You could have killed yourself, that you could!"

"I was only coming to see ugly!" replied Yahiko, indignant, and pointed at Kaoru.

"Who are you calling 'ugly'?" Kaoru fumed. No-one knew better how to annoy her than her little brother, but she quelled it rapidly. It wouldn't do to worry a possible client. "And Himura's right, you could've killed yourself, and him too!" She waded over to him, seemingly concerned about his potential injuries, but her glare at Yahiko, unnoticed by the two men, promised extra practise tonight.

"You know I'm fine, sis!" Yahiko grinned cheekily at her, and dove under the steaming water.

"Yahiko…!" Kaoru waded after the barely-visible shadow under the chest-high water.

Suddenly Yahiko erupted from under the water, and dragged his sister under. The water was still again. Seconds ticked by.

Sagara looked over to his friend, "Are they alright in there?"

"This one does not know…" replied Himura, his tone uneasy. "Oro!"

Sagara gasped in shock as something beneath the water knocked his friend over, and he too disappeared. His frown deepened, and he began searching for the three that had disappeared under its surface.

A rush of water announced the re-appearance of Kaoru and Himura. They clung to each other, gasping for breath. Yahiko resurfaced a second behind them.

Kaoru caught her breath again, and looked up at Himura's face. "Thank you. I was running out of air there."

"You're welcome," he replied.

Then a rapid blush stained Kaoru's face. Somewhere along the way, both of them had lost their towels, and now they were both naked as the day they were born.

As if pulled by a magnet, Himura stared down at Kaoru's body. She was beautiful. His gaze skimmed up her smooth legs, around the rounded hips and flat stomach, resting momentarily on the full breasts, and trailed up the shapely neck and the midnight hair that swirled damply around it. Then he looked into her face, and the becoming blush on her cheeks reminded him that she could see every inch of him – above the hips, anyway – and could certainly feel every inch.

His face assumed the same colour as hers, and he let go, stepping away with alacrity.

Kaoru's blush deepened as she saw that he had realised the position they were in. _Unless it's because he's naked… He shouldn't be ashamed, though – He has such a beautiful body – NO! Bad Kaoru! Don't even think that!_ Looking left and right frantically, she tried to focus on anything other than Himura.

"Kaoru? Kaoru!" Yahiko's voice gave her a welcome alternate focus, and the slightly-annoyed look on his face indicated that he could, to some extent follow what she was thinking. Throwing a glare at him – this was his fault after all.

Kaoru ducked under the water, and before the men could react, came back up armed with a sopping towel. Remaining submerged to her neck, she wrapped it securely around herself, then allowed herself to sit higher up in the water. "Gentlemen, I have to introduce my younger brother, Yahiko. Yahiko, these gentlemen are Himura Kenshin and Sagara Sanosuke."

"Call me Sano," said Sagara. "You really gave us a scare there, kid."

"I'm not a kid! I'm sixteen!" said Yahiko, indignant.

"A fine young man you are, this one can see," said Himura, smiling at Yahiko's annoyance. "As Sano said, call this one Kenshin."

"Why do you say 'this one', instead of 'I'?" asked Yahiko.

Kenshin's face became tight. "It is a long story that goes back a long way, that it does."

"Oh." Yahiko knew a dismissal when he heard one. Kenshin obviously didn't want that particular issue spoken about. He changed the subject quickly. "So, where are you from? Where are you going?"

"We're travelling to Tokyo, to start a dojo, kid," said Sano.

"Don't call me 'kid'!" snapped Yahiko, but then his enthusiasm for swords took over. "Really? I'm trained in the sword, too!"

"Yes, your sister said, that she did. When the dojo is started, feel free to visit. This one would welcome another friend."

"That would be great!"

* * *

**Author's Notes: **I didn't know how to end it/sweatdrops/ But I hope you liked it, anyway. 

I'm sorry, historians. Historical accuracy was rather thrown out the window here. Geishas were generally chosen by the time they were age seven, so Kaoru's definitely too old! I had to leave the extra years, so that she had time to become proficient in Kamiya Kasshin (which will figure in later chapters).

Yes, I know that bathing arrangements were generally gender-separated. But I know that some hot springs simply had separate changing facilities, and one large pool. This first chapter wouldn't exist without this, so please forgive me! Sorry! Gomen nasai!

You may find my writing style unusual: I like big, descriptive words, so I'm sorry if you came across things you needed a dictionary for!

I'm not actually sure if it's a good idea to finish this, so if you want me to continue, please tell me. Otherwise… I'll leave it unfinished. (Despite the fact that I've written most of the second chapter anyway. Meh.)

Review! Please! Onegai!

(Author's Notes is the only time I bring out the fangirl Japanese! )


	2. Revealing Song

**To Reveal All**

**Chapter 2: Revealing Song**

**By steelphoenix**

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**Disclaimer:** I don't own Rurouni Kenshin, or any of its characters. 

**Author's Notes: **So! Chapter 2! The fact that this is posted means that people liked the first chapter (and said so). Thanks for the reviews, everyone! I'll put Review Replies at the bottom of each chapter, to answer specific questions/points, and reply to everyone who reviewed.

**Language Notes:** The traditional Japanese instruments mentioned here are a shakuhachi (a bamboo flute), and a koto (a 13-stringed zither). A zither is a box with strings over a soundhole (This is a _very_ crude description: check the Internet for pictures).

A shinai is a practice sword, made of bound bamboo. A sakabato is a reverse-bladed sword, with the sharp and dull edges switched (but you knew that already, didn't you?).

A kimono is a woman's traditional Japanese dress.

**Warnings:** Presently rated PG-13. May be R for sexual situations/scenes and violence in later chapters. No language warnings.

* * *

**Tokyo, Meiji 11 (1876)**

Kaoru smiled at the expression on Megumi's face. Her 'elder sister' and friend was annoyed. In fact, she was downright pissed off.

Megumi frequented the 'Red Sakura' teahouse, and was one of, if not the, most popular geisha there. Beautiful and talented, she was known throughout Tokyo as a perfect shakuhachi player, and her bell-like laugh was praised by a thousand love-struck poets.

However, the reality tonight was that she didn't have a party to go to until nine o'clock in the evening, quite late, and Kaoru had one at six. Megumi's client had cancelled at the last minute, and, unless she visited parties that she wasn't expected at, she had three hours with nothing to do. She had offered to come to the teahouse with Kaoru. Ostensibly, it was to help her 'younger sister' get ready for Kenshin's visit, but Kaoru knew that in reality, she was trying to get invited to a party.

Kenshin's visits had become a ritual. Once a fortnight, or sometimes more often (Kaoru suspected it was whenever he could get the funds), Kenshin would visit Kaoru. He would shyly enter the entrance hall of the teahouse, and, blushing bashfully, ask the attendant if 'Kaoru-dono' was free. Kaoru always was – she knew when to expect him. He would be escorted to the room, and they would drink tea, talk, and Kaoru would sing.

"Kaoru, why does Kenshin always call you 'Kaoru-dono?'" asked Megumi, tongue poking out the side of her mouth as she concentrated on touching-up Kaoru's eye makeup.

"I thought you knew. It was a while back that he started calling me that." Kaoru knew that Megumi was just making conversation, to keep her mind off her annoyance.

"Yes, I had noticed, but you never said why."

"Well, he found out that my family used to be minor nobles before the Bakumatsu. He jokingly said that as a mere rurouni, he should call a lady such as myself Kaoru-dono." Kaoru grinned at the memory. "It stuck."

"You're no lady, though." Megumi teased.

"Like I said, it stuck, and that's what he calls me now."

"Well, lady or not, we want you to look extra-nice for your 'friend's' visit! You never know, you might finally get him!" Megumi's voice was forcedly-cheerful, and slightly acidic, as she arranged Kaoru's hair underneath its ivory combs.

Kaoru blushed, then snapped, "I _don't_ want 'get him', though! He's my best friend! I don't want him as a _lover_!" Though geishas could have lovers if they wanted to, it was generally frowned on, as they weren't making money out of the men. The two of them had had this discussion several times before.

"Well, he wants to get _you_," returned Megumi. "You're not all that bad-looking," – which received a murderous glare from Kaoru – "And I've seen the way he looks at you! I bet he's just shy!"

"He comes to talk to me!"

"Possible. He can't be coming for the tea, because it's so bad!" Megumi grinned teasingly, and shuffled around her friend to check on the back of the hairstyle.

"Hey! It's not that bad!" Kaoru snapped. The tea ceremony was still the weak point in her entertainment. Try as she might, it always ended up tasting strange.

The smile on Megumi's face broadened, unseen by her friend. Kaoru's denials always meant that she knew that what Megumi was saying was true, at least partially. "But haven't you seen what he looks like?"

"Yes, once," Kaoru replied, suppressing a blush as she remembered the perfection of Kenshin's body.

A knock sounded on Kaoru's door. Megumi rose, ready to leave. Quickly, she leant forward, and whispered in her friend's ear, "And don't you desire that? Don't you want that?"

The door slid back, revealing Kenshin, with Sano behind him.

"Kenshin! Sano? You don't usually visit!" Kaoru's voice was happy, and surprised at Sano's presence.

"Hello, Kaoru-dono, Megumi." Megumi smiled at the warmth in Kenshin's voice. _You can always tell… Definitely attraction on his side._

"Hi, Kaoru. Hey, Fox." Sano's cheeky grin at Megumi invited her to take offence at the nickname he had only recently thought of for her.

Megumi took the bait. "Sanosuke Sagara. You are speaking to Megumi Takani, a very popular geisha of this teahouse, famed over Tokyo for her shakuhachi and her laugh, and you have the nerve to call her 'Fox'."

"Yes, it suits you."

Kenshin and Kaoru rolled their eyes as the two immediately got into an argument over the nickname. Fights like these were a regular occurrence at the dojo, when Megumi was visiting. She and Sano always seemed to find something to argue over.

After ten minutes of back-and-forth bickering, Kenshin broke off the quiet conversation he had been having with Kaoru, and coughed, attempting to interrupt. "Ahem."

He was ignored, so Kaoru tried a little louder. "A-hem!"

Once again, she was ignored. They glanced at each other, and simultaneously coughed, again trying to interrupt. "A-HEM!"

"…That's not fair, Fox!"

"It is fair! Considering that you just…"

They were once again ignored. Kenshin's sakabato slipped out of its sheath, and Kaoru's shinai appeared from out of the cupboard. The two now-armed warriors stood, and stepped over to where the warring duo were.

"…so don't call me Fox!"

"But I… oh, Kenshin, Kaoru. What's with the weapons?"

"The weapons are because last time we tried to break up a fight between you two, we ended up needing them, that we did." Kenshin's voice was dry and seemingly annoyed, but was belied by the grin on his face.

Megumi lifted her nose, and drew herself up. "I am ending this discussion. Sagara, if you wish to speak to me, go through Kenshin or Kaoru. I will not be speaking to you until you agree not to call me 'Fox'." She lifted her skirts, and attempted to sweep out of the room. The effect was rather spoiled when she slammed the door shut, caught her kimono sleeve, and had to come back.

"Let's re-try that part of the performance," she said, and launched into her closing speech again. "I am ending this discussion. Sagara, if you wish to speak to me, go through Kenshin or Kaoru. I will not be speaking to you until you agree not to call me 'Fox'."

This time her sweeping exit was better, and she giggled all the way down the hallway. She could hear the roars of laughter from Kaoru's room.

_I love being with that guy – even though we argue, it's all in good fun, and he looks so alive and so handsome when he's competing with me like that!_

Megumi started, as she realised what she had thought. She sat, slightly discomforted by her train of thought.

---

Kaoru swirled the whisk in the cup, mixing the tea smoothly into the hot water. Shifting over in front of Kenshin, she placed the cup down.

"Thank you, Kaoru-dono." Kenshin took a sip, both his friends watching him carefully. Kaoru, because she hoped that her tea had improved, and Sano, because he hoped to get to see Kenshin's swirly-eyed look (and have something to tease Kaoru about).

Unfortunately, it was Kaoru who was disappointed. With a single "Oro!", Kenshin's eyes went swirly, and with a crunch, he was laid out on the matting.

"Your tea hasn't got any better, I see," said Sano, looking sideways at Kaoru.

"Why you…!" Kaoru's eyes went slanted and angry, and she grabbed the ladle and began battering Sano with it.

"Better… than… before… Kaoru-dono…" came a weak voice from the floor. Kaoru paused in her belaborment of Sano.

"Wow. He's actually conscious," said Sano, sounding surprised. Kaoru swatted him again with the ladle.

"Well, gotta go, Kenshin, Kaoru. You should see a doctor after that brew, Kenshin," Sano rose.

"Why, where are you going?" asked Kaoru.

"Gotta see a man about a dog," grinned Sano. "And besides, I don't want to get dosed with that so-called 'tea'. I'm not immune, like Kenshin is." He slipped out the door, narrowly missing getting hit by the ladle, which sailed out after him.

---

Sano strolled down the hall, and on to the veranda. As he expected, Megumi was kneeling there.

"Hi, Fox! Been practising exit speeches, have we?" Sano's cheeky tone was instantly recognisable, and Megumi turned around, grinning at her friend.

She knew why he was here. Their serious discussions had become a custom between the two of them. They were to clear up any strange or scathing remarks made in the last argument, and now that the argument was over, they would clear the air.

"No, Sano, I have _not_ been 'practising exit speeches', as you put it. That exit simply needed to be re-worked, so that it went right! Choreography is essential in any dramatic performance!"

"Dramatic performance?" Sano smirked, leaning against the doorpost. "That's a strange way of putting it - even though you are a bit of a prima donna..."

Megumi rolled her eyes, and began to explain. "You do the arguments for the fun of it, don't you?"

"Yes… where are you going with this, Fox?" Sano's tone was puzzled, but interested.

"Well, if you're doing it for the fun of it, then it's a performance for anyone but you and me."

"You have a point…" Sano seemed intrigued. "What else would you call a 'performance'?"

"All of life is a performance, Sano! Make the most of it!"

Sano grinned. He had been expecting a remark like that, and also the fact that she had never once mentioned the 'Fox' nickname. If she hadn't commented on it in this, a serious – well, semi-serious – discussion, she didn't mind. He strolled to the doorway. _So, you don't mind being a Fox, Megumi? You're as cunning as one._

"Oh, and you're a great performer, Fox!" Sano blew her a kiss from the doorway, and slid it shut.

---

"Gambling?" said Kaoru, once she had calmed down. "Is he still losing all the time?"

"No, fortunately," replied Kenshin, rising from the floor. "But he is only allowed to take gambling money out of his share of the income, which cut back his spending, that it did."

Kaoru smiled, turning to help him up. "And has he won big yet?"

"Of course not. This one advised him to stop gambling, but he does not. All his extra money goes into it."

"And you spend your extra money on visiting me." Kaoru's voice was quiet, but she smiled as she said it. She knew it was true.

"No, of course not… there is the extra equipment… and the food… and… well…" Kenshin blushed, and ducked his head.

"Yes, you do."

"Yes, this one does," Kenshin mumbled, his face as red as his hair.

Kaoru smiled. "I don't mind. It's very special to me, that you would actually pay to see me regularly."

"Truly? It is enjoyable, seeing you, that it is. This one would not get to otherwise!"

"Kenshin, you're one of my best friends. It's the best part of my week, getting to sit and talk, and just be comfortable with you."

Kenshin's eyes snapped to Kaoru's. She thought for a moment that they flickered amber, desirous. "Comfortable?"

"Yes. I never have to worry about how I act, I don't have to be perfect. I don't have to be a geisha. You know me and like me the way I am. And you're one of the few men who can beat me with the sword!" Kaoru laughed.

"True, this one can best you with the sword. And with the cooking spoon – " Kenshin ducked as the tea whisk rocketed past his ear "- but with the _koto_, never!"

"Oh, yes, I'm supposed to sing, aren't I?"

"You always forget, that you do!"

"We can't just talk all the time, can we? I wish we could – singing's such a hassle!"

"You have a lovely voice, Kaoru-dono. This one enjoys your singing, especially the songs you compose yourself."

"Really?" Kaoru frowned at Kenshin, not sure he wasn't joking. He had made similar remarks the last two weeks he had come. Perhaps he was trying to hint at something. "I'll sing you one I wrote, then."

Kaoru moved over to the koto that lay at the side of the room, and carefully laid it down between herself and Kenshin. Fitting the plectrums to her fingers, she began plucking the strings gently, raising delicate ringing tones. She began to sing, her voice sweet and expressive.

_I dreamed a dream of times gone by  
When my samurai, my love, was living,  
I dreamed my love would never die  
I dreamed the gods would be forgiving._

_Then he was young and unafraid  
And had so many dreams of glory,  
There were no prices to be paid  
No comrades lost, no swords yet goried._

_But the Battousai was there  
And he slew my lover's dreaming,  
And he tore his hope apart  
And his dreams were turned to shame._

_He slept a summer by my side  
He filled my days with endless wonder  
He took my childhood in his stride  
But he was gone when autumn came._

_And still I dream he'll come to me  
That we will live the years together  
But death has come, and I can see  
That love can't conquer it, not ever._

_I had a dream my life would be  
Together with my love, forever  
But his death has taught me truth  
Battousai killed the dream I dreamed._

Kaoru dropped her hands from the koto, her eyes damp. "No matter how many times I sing that one, I always end up crying!" she exclaimed, drying her eyes with a cloth out of her sleeve.

"You really believe all that?" Kenshin's voice was hard, and as Kaoru looked up, she gasped. Kenshin's relaxed pose was gone, and in its place was a taut body, ready to pounce. Kenshin's hand was on his hip, on the hilt of his half-drawn sakabato.

Kaoru looked higher, and again gasped. The tears dried on her face in an instant, for she knew that she was in danger from this man. He was no longer Kenshin, the friend and confidant, but an angry stranger. His face was taut, set in a forbidding battle-expression.

And his eyes were amber.

Kaoru recalled all the legends of Hitokiri Battousai in an instant. It was said that the Battousai was young man, slight and weak-looking. It was said that the Battousai had flaming red hair. It was said that the Battousai had a cross-shaped scar on his cheek.

And it was said that Hitokiri Battousai's eyes changed colour. Violet when calm, amber when angry.

Amber when he was going to kill.

"Kenshin?"

As if her voice had snapped him out of his trance, Kenshin relaxed. His hand fell off the swordhilt, his body slumped, and his face eased out of the battle-expression.

With a last forbidding swirl of amber, Kenshin's eyes calmed, and became violet again.

"Kaoru. Don't ever sing that song again."

"No. I won't."

---

Later that night, Kaoru dozed fitfully. Amber eyes and half-drawn sakabatos haunted her. False memories, with Kenshin attacking her, wounds on her body, Kenshin torturing her, twisted in with the real memories, creating a horrific patchwork of images.

She woke with a gasp. The dreams churned in her memory, urging her to come to a conclusion about what she had seen. She knew what her subconscious was telling her.

"Alright. I know. Kenshin's _him_. Hitokiri Battousai." Saying it aloud didn't make Kaoru feel any better. It made it worse. Actually acknowledging that a man she was friends – _close_ friends – with, was the legendary killer. She had at first wondered, when she saw the red hair and scar, but his demeanor was so different from the legendary assassin's, that she had dismissed it as mere fancy. Now her mind was torturing her with her original doubts.

Could gentle, kind Kenshin be the same man who had once killed a whole company of troops?

Could the man that gave her techniques on the grip on a sword have used those same techniques in a battle?

Could Kenshin, with his amiable laugh, have laughed differently, killing?

Could the man who was so tender with Dr. Genshi's granddaughters have once been the lone wolf that said almost nothing to his comrades for months?

Could Kenshin's love of life once been a love of death?

Confused, sad, and angry, Kaoru burrowed her head into her futon and cried.

* * *

**Author's Notes: **And the plot thickens… 

Oooh, long chapter. It started off really short, because I actually wrote this without the bits with Sano and Megumi's argument, and this chapter being their first meeting, but then I re-thought it, and decided to make it so Megumi had been friends with Kenshin and Sano nearly as long as Kaoru.

Shameless ripoff of Andrew Lloyd Webber there, too. In case you didn't pick it, that was a (bad /sweatdrops/) adaption of 'I Dreamed A Dream' from Les Misrables, I love that song, I just had to RK-ify it.

Review! Please! Onegai!

**Review Replies:** Thanks, everyone! moonchild, half-breed-demon-fox, Chibi Kiki, iLuvJaeWon, Kaorurules, you have made me a very happy Nix!

Little Spider - Ummm... yeah, but remember, he's her little brother. It wouldn't mean anything to either of them. Sano would have seen too… /thinks/ Perhaps I shouldn't have put that bit in… /sweatdrops/

TheEtherway - Thanks for forgiving the inaccuracies! You'll probably end up having to forgive a few more! I think that historical knowledge helps, too. It's a good idea to know about the period you're writing about – it gives more depth to the story (and that's always good!).


	3. Revealing Anger

**To Reveal All**

**Chapter 3: Revealing Anger**

**By steelphoenix**

* * *

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Rurouni Kenshin, or any of its characters. 

**Author's Notes: **Chapter 3. Well, the plot has gone somewhat strange on me. I had it all planned out, but then Chapter 2 appeared and warped itself into Kenshin going Battousai, _way_ before I had planned it. Meh… just have to rework the plot plan a bit… /sweatdrops/

Anyway, this chapter CONTAINS LIME. This is description of a sexual scene. If you don't want to read this, then skip that bit of the story. Otherwise… read on! You have been warned!

Thanks for the reviews! They're so encouraging! I love you all/glomps startled reviewers/ But seriously… I know there's more than ten of you reading this fic! Please… Talk to me! Even if you want to tell me you don't really like the fic. I don't take kindly to flames, but if that's all you have to say/winces/ then say it!

However, that said, I have the nasty feeling that I'm going to be flamed for this chapter… Read on…

**Language Notes: **In the first scene, Kaoru's counting: "One! Two! Three!".

The Ryutsuisen (Dragon Hammer Flash) and Ryusonsen (Dragon Nest Flash) are best seen in the anime. I invented Kaoru's attack, Yaibasukou: its name means 'Blade-Nest'. It's derived from 'yaiba', meaning 'blade/sword', 'su', meaning 'nest', and 'moukou', meaning 'fierce attack'. I'm sorry if I'm munting Japanese here, but I… er… wanted to try it out… sorry if it's wrong! Gomen nasai!

A haori is a man's coat, nagajuban is the undergarment worn beneath a kimono, and a yukata is a summer kimono.

With currency, one ryo was… a lot! I haven't found the exact equivalents, but for example, a maidservant earned one ryo a month (as well as food and board).

Battousai makes brief appearance in this chapter. Rurouni's thoughts are in _italics_, and Battousai's thoughts are in **_italic and bold_**. This is simply to distinguish between them.

**Warnings:**PG-13 for sexual situations/scenes, bordering on R-rating.THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS LIME.Violence in later chapters. No language warnings.

* * *

The early morning was clear and calm, the sun just up. The pink rays of dawn hadn't yet penetrated to the entertainment house's back courtyard, but there was still a figure in combat stance on its cold pavings. 

"Ichi! Ni! San!" Kaoru swung her shinai up and down. Strikes hit the dummy from left, right and centre, making it swing from the makeshift frame Kaoru had hung it from. Its swinging didn't cause Kaoru to miss any hits, though. Adjusting her rhythm and strokes, she hit each point she wanted to, dead-on.

Sweat dripped off the end of her nose, and her arms were starting to hurt. It was time for the last strikes. Springing off the ground, Kaoru was above the dummy's head in the blink of an eye. As she came down, seven strikes hit: On the top of the head, each ear, each shoulder, across the chest, and across the back.

Kaoru landed in a fighting crouch with a light thud. As she began rising from her position, a hand tapped her on the shoulder. Without even thinking, Kaoru spun, and delivered a spectacular hit across the chest of her 'attacker'.

"Oro!"

Kenshin's eyes went swirly, and with a clang, he hit the dust. "Oops." Kaoru dropped the shinai, and knelt by her fallen friend.

"Ooh, you have been practising, Kaoru-dono. That strike was very hard, that it was!" Kenshin said, as Kaoru helped him to his feet.

"What're you doing here so early, Kenshin?"

"This one came to apologise for the trouble last night," Kenshin said, ducking his head.

"You mean what happened after I sang that song?"

"Yes, this one was ashamed of that, and felt that it might scare you," Kenshin answered. "You have not seen that happen to this one, that you have not."

"You mean when you turned into the Battousai." Kaoru's tone was almost accusing, and strangely disappointed. _If only he'd trusted me_…

An awkward, stilted silence fell. Kenshin was refusing to look at Kaoru, and an angry, troubled look was firmly seated on his face.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"It is best for knowledge such as that to be concealed." Kenshin's voice was taut and angry. He turned and walked a few steps, facing away from Kaoru. There was no way she could see his face, but that tone said all that it needed to.

"But even if it only shows when you're angry, I would've seen sooner or later."

"Some knowledge is best left concealed." Kenshin's attitude brooked no argument. Kaoru knew that this discussion was at an end.

Quiet reigned as both parties stood, lost for words, for the next thing to say.

Eventually Kaoru broke the silence.

"So, Kenshin, what did you think of my sword practice?"

"It was impressive, that it was, Kaoru-dono. An interesting combination of strikes, that last set." Kenshin took up the topic, turning to look at Kaoru again, forcing his face in its usual cheerful expression. Kaoru inwardly sighed, relieved.

"It is the final set of blows to down any opponent. Even if they are still standing, when those blows hit, they will be knocked down, if not unconscious."

"A little like the Ryutsuisen of the Hiten Mutsurugi Style, the head hit was," said Kenshin, a thoughtful look on his face. "Though not as powerful, of course."

"No. The Ryutsuisen is a single attack, where the Yaibasukou is for a series of hits."

"It is a little like the Hiten Mutsurugi's Ryusonsen in that way, that it is."

Kaoru smiled. She had seen Kenshin practising the Ryusonsen once. There was no way she could have even half the speed or strike power that Kenshin did. He had three hits in his Ryusonsen to one in her Yaibasukou.

Kenshin's next question threw everything she had been thinking into disarray.

"Kaoru-dono, would you like to be a master or instructor at our dojo? We are in need of another teacher, and you are the best swordswoman this one has seen in a long while, that you are."

Kaoru's eyes snapped to Kenshin's. There was no smile on his face. He was serious. "You're serious?"

Kenshin's only answer was a single nod, and a gentle smile.

"I need time to think, Kenshin. This is… a shock…" Possibilities swirled through Kaoru's head. _I could end being a geisha, which I never really liked,_ was Kaoru's first thought._ Yahiko wouldn't have to be a kitchen boy any more. We'd be independent._

"But a good one?" Kenshin walked over to his friend, smiling happily at her shocked expression, and laid his hand on her shoulder.

"Oh, yes!" Kaoru laughed, and impulsively hugged Kenshin, glad of an excuse to get close. He 'oro'ed at her tight clutch, and she let go, grinning at his surprise.

_But geishas are only let go for marriage…_ Kaoru's sensible side prodded her conscience.

Then she calmed, her excitement damped by the sudden surge of reality. "I'm not sure the okiya would let me go. And I'm not sure I should go, anyway. I have duties to think of."

"How about I come back tonight, or tomorrow, and ask then?" Kenshin asked, looking down on the top of Kaoru's head.

Kaoru let go of Kenshin, and walked over to where she had dropped her shinai, trying to think what was best. Picking it up, she swung it gently. "Yes. Tomorrow night. I'll have thought long enough, and I'll have asked the okiya's mistress."

"Then this one shall speak to you then," smiled Kenshin. "This one hopes you will accept."

"I'm not sure, Kenshin. I'm not sure."

---

Kaoru knelt on the matting of her room, the skirts of her kimono spread around her in a loose fan. Its neckline was loose around her shoulders, and a hint of her thigh showed tantalisingly beneath the blazing blue of the kimono and creamy white of her undergarments.

The lanterns in the room cast an inviting glow that warmed Kaoru's milky skin to gold.

Tilting her head in order to show off the smooth curve of her neck, she tapped twice on the matting. The door slid open, pushed by an attendant, and her danna stepped in.

Sokuya Jubei, Kaoru's danna, was a kind old fellow – at sixty, he had led a full life, and he enjoyed nothing better than the company of a young geisha. Three months ago, he had taken a liking to Kaoru. Negotiations soon began, and within a fortnight, Sokuya was Kaoru's danna. He treated her well, and his gifts were generous. Tonight he had come to the teahouse, and when she offered tea, had waved it aside, instead asking for something 'a little stronger'. Kaoru knew immediately what he meant, and had bowed herself out of the room. A rapid trip back to the okiya, and rapid preparation, and before she knew it, Sokuya had arrived.

"Welcome, sir," said Kaoru, her tone husky and full. A seductive smile on her lips, she beckoned. "Your pleasure awaits."

"You're always so lovely, and so eager, Kaoru," smiled Sokuya. "Now, help me with this damned haori."

Kaoru gave a soft laugh, and rose to aid him in undressing. Sokuya had trouble with one of his arms sometimes – an old wound.

_He's nice, but it's a pity he's old. Not at all like what I'd want. Nothing like Kens-_ Kaoru stopped that train of thought. Why did she always think that when she had to give physical favours to Sokuya?

---

Kaoru trailed a line of kisses down the Sokuya's neck, and rolled him over, so she was on top of him. Her hair, long since let loose, swirled in a curtain around her face as she began to move up and down in steady rhythm. Her danna's hands, clawing at her buttocks, encouraged her to finish the job quickly.

Faster and faster she moved, until she felt his shudders beneath her. It was done, and that was the end of that.

Climbing off, she smiled down at Sokuya, gently stroking his wrinkled stomach. He always seemed to enjoy that. He sighed, his eyes closed, and with a soft snore, he fell asleep. Kaoru dropped the seductive smile, and relaxed.

Rising, she walked to the cupboard, and pulled out a blanket and pillow. She placed the pillow under his head, and the blanket over him, then sat back on her heels.

A brief swish announced the opening of the door. Kaoru, thinking that it was an attendant, began speaking. "He's fallen asleep, so…"

"Kaoru-dono…" Kenshin's voice was somewhere between surprised and angry.

Kaoru turned, and rose, half-forgetting that she was naked. She walked towards her friend. "Kenshin, I didn't expect you this late! I thought you weren't coming, after not seeing you before supper!"

"Kaoru-dono… This one… You…" Kenshin blushed fierily. "You are naked!" _Oh, Kaoru-dono… you're beautiful…_ but…

"Enjoy the view, Kenshin. I won't charge," smiled Kaoru, but nevertheless turned to the pile of clothes, and pulled on her nagajuban. As she turned back, she could see a dilemma in Kenshin's face. Then one side won, and his expression became hostile.

"How could you sleep with _him_!"

"He is my danna, Kenshin…" Kaoru was confused by the anger and possessiveness in Kenshin's voice. "It is his right, he can claim…"

"But he can't! You are mine!"

"_What!_" Kaoru was shocked by Kenshin's statement. And as much by the phrasing of it as by its content. Kenshin never referred to himself as anything other than 'this one'.

And… _I am _his_! What is he thinking? He's never said anything…_

Kaoru could only watch and wonder, helplessly, as Kenshin's face hardened into a battle-expression.

Then his eyes began to change. Kaoru watched in horrified fascination as the violet orbs clouded over, and wisps of orange appeared. Then, with a swirl like the draining of a bath, violet disappeared, and Kenshin's eyes were suddenly a pair of angry amber cat's eyes.

A rasp sounded. Kaoru knew that sound. She had been hearing it since she was a little girl. The rasp of sword on sheath, it sounded in the silence as loud as a roll of thunder.

"No!" Kaoru knew what Kenshin – no, Hitokiri Battousai – was thinking to do. A man had taken his woman, and Battousai would have his revenge.

"Kenshin! Kenshin! Listen to me!"

Battousai shot a poisonous look at Kaoru. She recoiled. She had never seen such a gaze before, such hate, such… _desperation? Yes, he is desperate to avenge his loss… Desperate to kill the violator… Desperate to have me…_

"Kenshin! Please!" Kaoru interposed herself between Battousai and her still-sleeping danna. There was no way she could let Kenshin anywhere near Sokuya – he would kill him without a moment's thought.

The rasp of the drawing sword seemed to go on forever, cutting through the still air, a harsh saw. Eventually, with a horribly musical 'ting!', it was free. Battousai swung it in his hand, weighing its killing ability.

_Think, Kaoru! What can you do? Is there anything you can do? Do something!_

Kaoru looked around the room. No weapons. No defence. Nothing.

_Do something! Now!_

Battousai began moving towards her, in that deadly, purposeful stride.

_DO SOMETHING! ANYTHING!_

A vague idea, a hint of a hint, flickered into Kaoru's mind. Driven by fear and desperation, its seed flowered in an instant.

Kaoru rushed forward.

Battousai lifted his blade.

Pushing the sword to the side, Kaoru grabbed Battousai's head, and pulled him down into a kiss.

Battousai's eyes flickered, sanity intruding on the swirling amber madness.

The sakabato lifted, behind Kaoru's back. Then it dropped, and fell on the floor.

The eyes whirled and set, sane and aware.

_**What! I'm awake?**_

_You're not insane anymore, Battousai! But…_

**_Rurouni… I don't know what to do!_** The warrior spirit's voice was panicked.

_I'll take care of this._

The amber in Kenshin's eyes retreated, and violet took over.

Kenshin pulled Kaoru against him, and began to return the kiss. Kaoru's mouth opened under his, and tongues touched. They began to pull back, but with a glance into the other's eyes, dove back into the depths.

Deep, drowning, and passionate, each gave and took their share of the kiss, pulling the other closer and closer into the embrace.

Kenshin's hands slipped from around Kaoru's shoulders, possessively wrapping around her waist. Kaoru responded, and slipped her hands to his waist also. As they sank to the floor, Kenshin's hands slid lower and lower, until he was caressing the smooth thigh through the now-open nagajuban.

Kaoru moulded herself against his body, running her hands up and down his spine, causing him to arch in towards her. Unconsciously, she lifted one hand, and ran it up the nape of his neck and along the tendons behind his ear. He shivered at the feathery touches.

More needy kisses slipped between their lips. Kenshin tried to pull Kaoru even closer, and she lifted herself into his lap. The abruptly-loosened nagajuban fell off Kaoru's shoulder, and one of Kenshin's hands began climbing towards the tempting expanse of flesh presented.

Suddenly, a rasping snore announced Sokuya's presence. The two snapped away from each other, and looked over at the blanketed shape. Kaoru giggled, and Kenshin grinned in response.

Then Kenshin rose, assisting Kaoru. "Come on. Outside." Picking up and re-sheathing his sakabato, he pulled her over to the balcony door.

Soon, they were ensconced on the balcony, lit equally by the golden lamps of Kaoru's room and the blue glow of the moon. Kenshin sat, leaning against the wall, and Kaoru lay between his legs, back against his chest, head on his shoulder. After a while, Kenshin broke the comfortable silence.

"Kaoru-dono, this one came to ask if you wished to join our dojo."

Kaoru sighed, regretful. "I can't, Kenshin. I want to join the dojo, but the house owner won't let any of her geishas go for anything short of marriage, and then only with an enormous payoff."

"How much?"

"Two thousand ryo."

Kenshin whistled softly. "That _is_ a lot. The dojo's expenses for a year might add to that. If whole new set of equipment had to be bought, that is."

"Which is why I'll never be free. There's no way…" Despair filled Kaoru's voice.

Kenshin's arms tightened around her. "This one said it was a lot. However, this one did not say it was too much."

Kaoru gasped. _Is he really saying…_?

"Kaoru, please, I am asking you to marry me."

* * *

**Author's Notes: **Kekeke… and I leave you hanging. evil grin Don't worry, I'll update soon. 

Sorry that it's a short chapter, but with so much in it, I couldn't bear to bring in another bit of the storyline.

I owe you all an enormous GOMEN NASAI for inflicting the description of Kaoru with Sokuya upon you… /ducks rotten vegetables/ It was only a paragraph… and I gave you five paragraphs of KxK to make up…

Readers: There is NOTHING you could do to make up for THAT MONSTROSITY OF A PARAGRAPH/hurl more rotten vegetables/

Nix/ducks/ I SAID that I'm SORRY! Please don't kill me!

Um, also... /looks embarrassed/ Sorry if it was cheesy, especially in the KxK bits. And the proposal… it didn't work out like I had planned! I swear, this fic writes its own storyline! The plot plan gets amended every time I finish a scene… /sweatdrops/

Never fear, it will all work out in the end! (Or at least, I'm hoping so… /crosses fingerscrosses toes, just in case/)

Review! Please! Onegai!

**Review Replies:** Thanks, reviewers!

girl from ipanema – Romance in the works/points upwards/ I hope this chapter gives some indication of what might happen…

half-breed-demon-fox – You win the Biggest Fan Award/hands medal over/ You've left such enthusiastic reviews for both chapters, and put me on your Author Alert list! O.o I think I have a fan… /does happy dance/

Peachie-Chan – Glad you like updates! I should be getting them out about every 5-7 days, so look out!

elysium - I know! It's so hard to read a story when you don't understand half the words! That's why I include the Language Notes – so you know what I'm talking about!

Oooooh, guess what? I just discovered how to find out if anyone put you on their Author Alert List! So, to those on it – evilanimeblond22, half-breed-demon-fox, Christian Angel, Little Spider, and Silent Tears of Agony, thanks very much!


	4. Revealing Answer

**To Reveal All**

**Chapter 4: Revealing Answer**

**By steelphoenix**

* * *

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Rurouni Kenshin, or any of its characters. 

**Author's Notes: **And so, to end the cliffhanger! Here comes Chapter 4! I'll just stick in the last bit of the last scene, to help you remember – just in case!

Please note: this chapter contains excessive amounts of what I call 'meringue': fluffy and incredibly sweet! So, if you're not into that… just skip the chapter. No! Wait! You can't! Contains important plot points! /thinks/ Damn… now everyone's going to be disgusted at my excessive sweetness…

12 reviews for one chapter! Kenshin plushies all round! /hands out plushies to reviewers/ Review Replies at the bottom of the chapter! Thanks for your responses. I was really surprised at the reception of the last chapter! Only one flame for the scene with Kaoru and Sokuya, and I was even told that it added to the 'dramatic tension'! Thanks, guys'n'girls!

I may be updating a little late for the next chapter: being a University student, I have these annoying things called exams. Therefore, I shall be studying madly, and only writing where it's necessary to help preserve my sanity.

**Language Notes: **'Kami-sama' is God (-sama is a suffix indicating extreme repect). A kami is a god or powerful nature spirit. They are sworn by, to, and at in the manga, so I figure they're fair game! /dodges thunderbolts/

Sakura are cherry-blossoms.

A zanbato is Sano's weapon, the huge katana. It was designed in the Middle Ages, to take down a horse and rider with one swing.

**Warnings:**PG-13 for sexual situations/scenes and violence in other chapters. No language warnings.

* * *

"Kaoru-dono, this one came to ask if you wished to join our dojo." 

Kaoru sighed. "I can't, Kenshin. I want to join the dojo, but the house owner won't let any of her geishas go for anything short of marriage, and then only with an enormous payoff."

"How much?"

"Two thousand ryo."

Kenshin whistled softly. "That _is_ a lot. The dojo's expenses for a year might add to that. If whole new set of equipment had to be bought, that is."

"Which is why I'll never be free. There's no way…" Despair filled Kaoru's voice.

Kenshin's arms tightened around her. "This one said it was a lot. However, this one did not say it was too much."

Kaoru gasped. _Is he really saying…_?

"Kaoru, please, I am asking you to marry me."

---

Kaoru's head whirled in shock. _Kenshin is asking me to marry him?! Oh, Kami-sama, no! I don't love him!_

_Or do I?_

_Kami-sama, help me! I don't know!_

"Kenshin…" Kaoru's voice was weak from shock and uncertainty, but she knew she had to give him an adequate answer.

"I'm not sure whether I love you or not… If I say yes now, it'll be because I want to get away from being a geisha, and having to cater to men like him –" she gestured at the snoring lump on her floor "– all my life. Nice as _he_ is, the next danna I get could be terrible. And when I get old, to become a teacher in a genteel art, if I'm any good at any of them, or to become an attendant, if I'm not."

She heard an intake of breath from Kenshin, and continued, "Please hear me out on this. Let me finish. There are things I must say.

"Kenshin, as my dear friend – my best friend – I know I like you, maybe even love you. But as a lover, a husband…? I'm not sure.

"In physical attraction, I desire you, yes... You have the most perfect body of any man I've ever seen. I'd like nothing more, physically, than to have that body in my bed every night, instead of being at the bidding of an old, dried-out man like Sokuya.

"But to have that body in my bed requires more than just physical desire. You are a man who deserves to be loved, and loved passionately, by a woman who can give you all of her heart. I'm not sure I'm that woman. I'm not even sure whether I love you truly.

"Kenshin, I know that this answer won't satisfy you, but it's the only answer I can give now."

Kenshin sighed. "This one had a feeling that your answer would not satisfy."

Kaoru twisted around to look at his face. "You knew?"

Kenshin nodded, his gaze distant and pained. "This one has had feelings for you for a long time, but could not find courage to tell you. This one felt that you did not have any similar feelings. That sounds harsh, but it is true, that it is."

Kaoru twisted in his grip again, until she was kneeling between his legs, facing him directly. "I didn't say that I didn't have any similar feelings, Kenshin. I just said that I didn't know whether what I was feeling was worthy of you."

"It is this unworthy one, Kaoru-dono, who has not –"

"Kenshin… you are not unworthy. You are a good man, a strong man. Though your past is stained… stained with much blood… you have done your best to wash it away. You shouldn't be so hard on yourself."

Kenshin swivelled his gaze away from Kaoru's, suddenly uncomfortable with this beautiful, strong, candid woman in his lap. Kaoru realised his unease, and backed out of his grip. Kenshin sat, his gaze far away, his face stern and troubled. Finally he spoke, but the words were stiff and too-polite.

"Kaoru-dono, this one is truly unworthy of the trust you place. This one is grateful that you are honest with your feelings, and is willing to let you think. This one will wait until you know what you want." _I would wait until the stars fell, if I was waiting for you…_

Kaoru's heart hurt. She knew that she had hurt him immeasurably, by kissing him with eagerness, and then speaking such hard words. She tried to make her voice warm, to show him… _How much his waiting means to me. How much his friendship means to me. How much his love means to me._

"Kenshin, you are the closest person to me. You are my best friend. You are my confidant. I trust you more than I can say. I just didn't realise I might have those feelings for you, and now that I realise, I need to find out whether I do."

Kenshin sighed. _I realise that you're undecided, Kaoru. I'll wait. Kami-sama knows I've waited long enough._ He looked over at Kaoru. His expression eased slowly from stern hurt to gentle, shy nervousness.

"Kaoru-dono… can this one please… please just hold you?" Kenshin's tone indicated his misgiving at how this request could be received, but Kaoru nodded assent, and leaned into his embrace, nestling in his arms. _Thank you, Kaoru. You don't know how much it means to have you in my arms…_

After a while of comforting closeness, Kaoru quietly said, "I think you ought to go now, Kenshin. I wish I could have given you a better answer." She eased herself away from her friend's warm arms.

"Any answer is better than no answer, Kaoru-dono," replied Kenshin, clambering to his feet. A gentle pat on Kaoru's shoulder, quiet footsteps, the swish of a door opening and closing, and he was gone.

---

Later, near midnight, after her danna had eventually woken up and left, Kaoru strolled in the courtyard where she had so often practiced Kamiya Kasshin. The spring was well-advanced, and the last of the sakura was falling.

Cloaked in moonlight, white yukata occasionally studded with the fragile, falling, pale-pink blossoms, Kaoru paced back and forth.

Once again, amber eyes haunted her. Raging with jealousy and possessiveness, they filled her mind. The transformation from violet to tawny and back repeated and repeated and repeated.

Images and feelings flashed through her mind, screaming for attention and consideration.

The sakabato, drawn, lifted behind her back, dropped heedlessly on the ground.

_But he'd never hurt me… Kenshin would never knowingly injure me…_

The tense body melting into hers, becoming part of her, wrapping close around her, warm and firm.

_So perfect… fitting so well with me…_

The moist, slightly-chapped lips that hers had met.

_Soft…_ Kaoru unconsciously touched her lips, in remembrance.

The sweetness of Kenshin's mouth on hers.

_He in me… so right…_

_NO! I can't be thinking this sort of thing! I have to be rational!_

_You're just avoiding it…_ said her conscience.

_No, I'm not! I just need to think this through carefully!_

Kaoru tried to think of sword styles, koto practices, dancing, but every memory came back to Kenshin somehow. Memories of his face as he showed her better grips, or as he showed her how to get more pressure into the strike, his listening to her practices, his laughter and running to catch her fall when she tangled her kimono while trying out a dance move…

Kaoru mused on how much a part of her life Kenshin and Sano, and their dojo, had become in the year that they had been friends. Mid-week and mid-day sword practices, meals that Kenshin had whipped up as she rushed off to return to the okiya for a party, Sano and learning to avoid the zanbato.

Sano's cheeky grin, and his constant teasing of Kaoru and Megumi.

Kenshin's concentration as he straightened a pupil's stance.

Sano and Megumi getting into another of their huge fights over nothing–or-Sano-teasing-Megumi.

Kenshin's gentle, encouraging smile after she had avoided one of Sano's strikes.

Kenshin's laughing eyes as he shared a joke.

The passion in his eyes as they kissed…

The hurt in his eyes as she finished her answer…

_Kenshin… I'm sorry…_

Tears collected and overflowed, and a single sakura petal stuck to the shining trail they left.

---

Kenshin, too, paced. Up and down the smooth floor of the dojo, the socks on his feet scuffed a trail of polished wood.

His thoughts were happier than Kaoru's. His were mostly on the kisses and the feel of Kaoru in his arms.

But at the back of his mind lurked the worrying thoughts that he was trying not to have. They swirled, hidden, and eventually the ex-rurouni gave up on ignoring them, and allowed them to rise.

The splash of anxiety that followed the surfacing of the doubts was intense. Kenshin's brows creased, and his pacing grew faster.

_What if she rejects me? What if she decides that she doesn't love me…?_

_It would be so easy for her to say no. She probably will, because she knows that it is easy to turn a 'no' into a 'yes', while a 'yes' is almost impossible to turn into a 'no'._

_But she hasn't even said that she will think about it… She implied it, though. Hopefully, the implication was true..._

_But even if she is considering it… How could I have _proposed_? There's no way I'm even near worthy enough to marry her!_

_Kaoru-dono… if I could have her as my wife… I would be the happiest man in the world…_

_Who am I kidding? If I could even just _kiss_ her again, I'd be the happiest man in the world!_

His thoughts were interrupted by the boisterous arrival of Sano, whistling happily. "Hey, Kenshin! Guess what? I won seven dice games in a row! And then took three-quarters of it to the card tables, and doubled it again!" Kenshin's only reaction to Sano's grinning enthusiasm was a slightly wan smile.

"Kenshin! Snap out of whatever you're in, man! _I just won over four thousand ryo!_"

Kenshin laughed, bitterly. "Could you lend this one two thousand?"

"_WHAT?!_" Sano was flabbergasted. Kenshin _never_ borrowed money off him. There must be some mistake.

"It is just a little thing, Sano. To do with freeing someone, that it is." Kenshin's voice was sad, and he turned away from his friend, starting another circuit of pacing.

"Kenshin! What's the matter, man?" No answer from the redhead. "What's the matter?"

Sano planted himself in front of the pacing man, grabbed him by the shoulders, and stopped him. Kenshin didn't even look up, but wrenched himself out of his friend's grip, and headed for the dojo's door. Sano grabbed Kenshin from behind, and turned the redhead around to face him.

"Who do you want to free? I'll help, sure, but who's it for?"

"Kaoru-dono." Kenshin's voice was flat and emotionless.

"But a geisha can only be freed by… _marriage_?" Sano realised what Kenshin was saying. "You _proposed_?!"

"Yes."

Sano paused. For Kenshin to have proposed… He laughed, grinning widely. "It took you long enough. I was wondering how long it would be before you asked. The kami know, you've been attracted to her since you first saw her!"

"This one did not plan to propose… This one proposed… on impulse…"

"Even better!" chuckled Sano. "But… you don't look happy. She refused?"

"She does not know her feelings towards this one yet. She will answer when she knows. This one must wait." Sano could hear the disappointment in Kenshin's tone, but there was hope there as well.

"And you've been getting depressed, worrying about whether or not she'll say yes?"

"Yes…" Kenshin was slightly embarrassed by Sano's curt stating of the problem.

"Yep, that is something to worry about," Sano said, turning serious. Then he grinned again. "But if I know Kaoru, you don't have anything to worry about! She's as attracted to you as you are to her."

"You think so?"

"I know so."

---

Kaoru's pacing was interrupted by Megumi's appearance at her side. "Kaoru? What're you doing out so late? I know Sokuya was 'visiting'."

"He's finished already. I pleasured him, he fell asleep, I got proposed to, he woke up, he left. I came out here, and I'm thinking things over." Kaoru's voice was matter-of-fact, and slightly clogged by tears.

"Hang on a minute… _you got proposed to_?!"

"Yes."

"Kenshin?"

"Yes."

Megumi was practically bouncing on the spot. "That's _wonderful_, Kaoru! Kenshin's perfect for you!" Then she noticed her friend's face. It wasn't happy, it was confused, and had tear-lines running down it. She instantly picked up on what the situation could be, and made a guess as to what had happened.

"Wait. You've been crying. You refused? Why?"

"I didn't refuse, Megumi. I asked him to wait until I knew. He deserves to marry a woman who can give him her whole heart. I'm not sure I'm that woman. I'm not even sure whether I even love him!" Kaoru's voice broke. "I'm so confused!" She sobbed. Megumi sighed, saddened, and gathered her 'younger sister' into her arms, feeling truly sisterly towards the younger woman, letting her cry out her anguish on her shoulder.

The storm of sobbing died slowly, eventually fading to occasional hiccups. Megumi let Kaoru go, patting her on the back gently. "Now, Kaoru, tell me what happened."

Kaoru quickly told an edited version of events – including Kenshin's jealousy, but not the appearance of Battousai, and the necessity of kissing Kenshin to 'retrieve' him. This left her in the awkward position of having apparently kissed a man for no reason at all. She covered it by pretending it had been teasing at first, and then had become serious.

"Well. That's interesting. He asked you to join the dojo first? That probably means that he didn't really think out the proposal, which means he did it on impulse."

Kaoru, wiping her eyes on her sleeve, sniffed, and replied, "On impulse? What's that got to do with anything?"

"It means it was probably more heartfelt. But, Kaoru, what have you decided? Have you been able to sort out your feelings?"

"I think so. Everything I think ends up coming back to him somehow. He's the person I'm most comfortable with. His smile makes my day happy. I can talk to him, and know that he'll understand. I desire him more than anyone else."

Megumi listened to the categorical list of Kaoru's feelings. "There's nothing I can say to that list, except, well, you have it bad. There's no other way to put this: You're in love, Kaoru. Very deeply in love."

Kaoru's face lifted, and hope began to shine in it. "How do you know, Megumi?"

"Those feelings are characteristic of love, and I've seen the way you two act around each other. You smile when he enters a room. He does the same. Your voice is warmest when you're speaking to, or about, him. He's the same. You share the same jokes, you understand exactly what the other is saying, even when no-one else does, you sometimes even complete each other's sentences." Megumi sighed, and a sadness appeared in her face. "You two… well, you make me jealous of you, and I don't even have a man."

"Megumi, please, is there anything else? How can I know?" Kaoru's tone was still anxious, but hopeful.

"There is no way to truly 'know', except in your heart. But I'll ask you some questions. Be honest about the answers. Who's your best friend?"

"Kenshin." Kaoru was bemused by the idea that a few questions could answer such a big problem.

"Who best understands you?"

"Kenshin."

"Who's best at cheering you up if you're depressed?"

"Kenshin."

"Who would you go to if Yahiko died?"

"Kenshin."

"Who would you go to if you were raped?"

Kaoru shuddered at the question, but answered. "Kenshin."

"I think you get the idea, Kaoru. Think about it. Who's the only person who you've ever, voluntarily – as a woman, not a geisha – kissed?"

Kaoru's tear-stained cheeks went red. "Kenshin."

Megumi smiled. _I think I've helped her see. She and Kenshin are two that are meant for each other. Much as I'd like him to be mine…_

Kaoru smiled in return. It was a brilliant, beaming smile. "Thank you, Megumi. I think I know what my feelings are, now." She leaned forwards, and hugged her friend.

---

As the two women let go, other arms slipped around them, and covered their mouths. Before they had time to react, a quick tap of a knife-hilt to each temple slid the women into silent unconsciousness.

The possessors of the arms slung the two over their shoulders. Slipping silently to the gate, they slid out into the moonlit street, followed by other men, who also bore unconscious shapes over their shoulders.

* * *

**Author's Notes: **Long chapter! YAY!And like last time, I leave you hanging. /evil grin/ Don't worry, I _will_ update as soon as exams are over. 

And once again, sappiness reigns supreme… Sorry, guys! This is worse than I thought it would be. It's also getting too angsty for my taste… I wanted to put in a bit where Sano, Megumi, and Yahiko cook up evil plans to try and get Kenshin and Kaoru together, but once again, the fic writes itself contrary to the plot plan… /sweatdrops/ I really can't control it! It's not fair! /sobs/

I'm sorry about Megumi, people. She is _very_ OOC here! But… well… she can be very kind when she needs to be, and I felt that this would be one of the times that she would be a kind friend, rather than her 'Fox' personality.

Review! Please! Onegai!

**Review Replies:** Thanks to all my reviewers, and everyone who has me on their Author Alert list!

half-breed-demon-fox – I finished off that cliffhanger, only to give you another one… hehehe. I love it when Kenshin goes Battousai too. Why else do you think I put it in? /evil grin/

sweetyfanfic – Glad you like it! And yes, I updated a bit early! Yay!

My name, not yours, deal with it! - /evil grin/

shan – Do you count a 'maybe' as nearly a 'yes'? Still, I had to do that bit for the plotline's sake.

anonymous - /grins/ Bribery? Don't worry, I update about every 5-7 days, depending on how well my Muses inspire me. /pats Muse on head/ They're doing very well right now.

Sosoru – Thanks for the tip about geishas. I've now fixed that. The only reason that I don't tend to use fangirl Japanese in my writing is that I want everyone to understand exactly what I mean. If I use Japanese phrases, then those who don't understand Japanese won't know what I'm trying to write, which kind of defeats the purpose of writing it at all. /grins/ That's also the reason for the Language Notes.

Peachie-Chan – You almost skipped the chapter?! /gasps/ That's the problem with the titles all being similar! As for the romance… I bet you loved this chapter!

girl of ipanema – Unfortunately, I can see other people (i.e. diehard KxK fans) getting mad at me for that particular scene… ah, well, dramatic tension or not, it was… interesting… /shudders/ to write. Bringing Kenshin to his senses was a lot easier. I'll be writing about how he got to be that way in a couple of chapters' time.

Moon&Stars - /points upwards/ I hope that answers your question… /grin/

Reign-of-Dreams – Glad you think this is kawaii! Imagining Kaoru as geisha was interesting, but I think that picturing people in situations we didn't before helps us explore their character more deeply.

HiEi JaGaNsHis FlAmE – Flame accepted. I promise never to do that to you again. Please don't be put off my writing just by that one paragraph!

pyramidgirl89 – Gotta love fluff, ne? Here's some more!

Prince Aoshi, Peachie-Chan, Phoenix Rises, Imo, rumi-chan1, pyramidgirl89 – Thanks for adding me to your Author Alert!


	5. Revealing Awakening

**To Reveal All**

**Chapter 5: Revealing Awakening**

**By steelphoenix**

* * *

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Rurouni Kenshin, or any of its characters. 

**Author's Notes: **To put you out of your misery… I'll end the cliffhanger! I'll just stick in the last bit of the last scene, to help you remember – just in case! I'll try not to write too many more cliffhangers, promise…

Unfortunately, exams and the internet going down got in the way of my updating this fic, so this is a little late! However, I shall be updating sooner, now that exams are finished.

Tsubame is probably OOC here, because I haven't seen much of her. I'm mostly guessing! Sorry! Gomen nasai!

Fight scene! Yay! My first battle sequence, so I'm not sure how good it is… /sweatdrops/ However, I did enjoy writing it… It was originally just going to be Yahiko knocking out the attacker, and getting Tsubame out safe, but it kinda turned into a bit with Aoshi too…

Yes, Aoshi-sama is a villain. Please don't hurt me… /flees angry Aoshi fangirls/

Thanks, everyone who reviewed! Love you all! Have a squiz at the Review Replies at the bottom of the chapter.

**Language Notes: **A shinai is a practise sword, made of bamboo.

Kokuryukai means 'Black Dragon Society'.

Gi and hakama are (respectively) the kimono top and loose trousers that Kenshin wears. They are traditional warrior's garb. Here's a site with a good diagram of some traditional clothing: . It's a very pretty picture of Kenshin and Kaoru, and the rest of the site is excellent too.

A kiai is a yell, used in battle to concentrate the emotions, and scare the enemy.

A kodachi is a sword midway between a katana (full-length sword) and a wakazashi (short sword). Roughly 55-60cm (22-24 inches) long, it was favoured by assassins, because it can be more easily concealed than a katana, but has similar handling.

**Warnings:**PG-13 for sexual situations/scenes and violence in other chapters. No language warnings.

* * *

Megumi smiled. _I think I've helped her see. She and Kenshin are two that are meant for each other. Much as I'd like him to be mine…_

Kaoru smiled in return. It was a brilliant, beaming smile. "Thank you, Megumi. I think I know what my feelings are, now." She leaned forwards, and hugged her friend.

---

As the two women let go, other arms slipped around them, and covered their mouths. Before they had time to react, a quick tap of a knife-hilt to each temple slid the women into silent unconsciousness.

The possessors of the arms slung the two over their shoulders. Sliding silently to the gate, they slid out into the moonlit street, followed by other men, who also bore unconscious shapes over their shoulders.

---

Kaoru groaned, and blinked. Her head hurt horribly, and as she moved to stretch, she was stopped by cords digging coarsely into her wrists. She paused a moment, and appraised her surroundings as much as she could.

She was lying on her side, bound by wrist and ankle with ropes. She was facing a smooth stone wall, the sort that could be found in a temple, shrine, or even an underground cellar. By dint of much writhing and twisting, she managed to roll over, and then sit up. She looked around her, surveying the room. It was lit by a slit window at the top of one wall, and it looked to be early morning from the pale sunlight that filtered in.

The room was quite small, perhaps six strides long, and four strides wide. It was unremarkable except for the fact that curled up on the floor at random intervals were sixteen young women, dressed in kimono, sleeping yukata, or sometimes nothing at all. All were securely roped up, hands in front, and ankles. Megumi was closest to her, and Kaoru had nearly rolled on her when she was attempting to get up.

Kaoru scooted backwards on her bottom, until she was leaning against the wall. Then she poked Megumi with her toe, attempting to wake her friend. Megumi moaned, "Nonowtooearlieeeee…" and collapsed back into a doze. Kaoru rolled her eyes. Megumi was always nearly impossible to wake up, or so her attendant said.

Kaoru poked her again, until the drowsy woman began to move and discovered the restriction of the cords on her wrists and ankles. That woke her up fast. "Aah! Ow! Help! Sano? Kaoru? Kenshin?"

Kaoru grinned, despite her discomfort. She had noticed the order in which Megumi had called to her friends for help. "Megumi. I'm here."

Megumi rolled over, so she was facing Kaoru. Using her hands to push herself up, she shifted awkwardly over to the wall, until she was sitting next to Kaoru.

"So, where are we, and why are we here?" was her first question.

"Your guess is as good as mine," replied Kaoru. "I was unconscious for almost as long as you."

"So, do you remember anything about being captured?"

"Yes. I remember hugging you, letting go, then seeing a shape behind you, but we were both grabbed before I could do anything. I wish I had my shinai!"

"Never mind about that now, Kaoru. Look around. All these geisha are frequent visitors to the 'Red Sakura' teahouse. I want to know why someone would want to kidnap all the geisha associated with the teahouse. They must have a reason!"

Kaoru thought for a moment. "I bet it's got something to do with that gang that's been threatening the manager."

"The ones who wanted to take over the teahouse as part of their territory? The Kokuryukai?"

"Yes, them. They've been threatening to do something radical for a while. I bet this is it." _Yes, it makes sense. They've been wanting the geishas under their control for a long time._

Megumi grimaced, looking around the crowded room. "Yes, this is 'radical'. Kidnapping is bad enough, but _all_ of us? That seems… excessive."

"What's interesting, Megumi, is that they've only got the geishas here that use the 'Red Sakura'," said Kaoru, surveying the faces of the women she could see. "They haven't bothered with the geishas or meikos who are of the same okiyas, but don't frequent the 'Red Sakura'. They knew exactly who they were aiming for. They're very well-informed."

"They know what they're doing. But they wouldn't bother with the meikos, anyway. They aren't valuable enough."

"Oh well," sighed Kaoru. "At least they got out of this… we're just going to have to wait for someone to explain this all to us. In the meantime, shouldn't we try waking everyone else?"

"Sounds like a good idea!"

---

Several of the geishas were hard to wake – Kaoru suspected drugs – but eventually they were all relatively alert. Kaoru slumped back down against the wall. It had been hard to move, despite the fact that her hands were tied in front of her.

"Does anyone know where we are?" was the first question she asked. The replies were nothing but negative. This produced a groan from Kaoru. _All that effort, and no-one knows…!_

"We think we might be in the Kokuryukai Gang's base. They've been threatening to take over the entertainment house for a while, because they want to use the geishas for their own means."

"That sounds right," replied Tae. "If you remember, I was attacked once, and I was told to carry a message from the Kokuryukai."

"What was the message?"

"It was a note, so I didn't see."

"Probably a threat note, Kaoru," said Megumi, with a wry grimace. "But they didn't beat you up, Tae. That would be stupid, and they knew it."

"Smart criminals. This is going to be hard to get out of," Tae put in, grinning at Megumi, reminding her of how mischievous she used to be, and that Megumi had made getting out of trouble almost as much an art as the shakuhachi.

"Well, is there any way to find out –" Kaoru began, but was interrupted by the sound of several people thudding down a set of stairs. The footsteps continued, and came to the door of the room that the geishas were in. A key turned in the lock, and the door swung open.

---

Yahiko groaned, and blinked. _Why am I lying on the floor?_ he wondered, staring at the ceiling's wooden joists. Fuzzily, he picked through his memories.

_A man, in dark clothes…_

_Tsubame, his friend, struggling in the man's arms…_

_The sound of a sword being unsheathed behind him…_

Recollection flooded back. He'd been going to give Tsubame the fan which she'd forgotten when she was talking to Kaoru, and he'd come into her room to find her struggling in the arms of a man dressed in a black gi and hakama, with a loose mask wrapped around his face.

He'd rushed forward, pulling the shinai he carried off his back. The man, seeing his approach, shoved Tsubame away – she hit the wall, and slumped down – and began drawing his sword.

_Not fast enough!_

Yahiko slammed into the man, his shinai striking in the easily broken area at the point where neck and left shoulder met. The man produced a strangled grunt, and went down on one knee.

_Yes! Another hit, and I'll knock him out!_ exulted Yahiko.

With a stifled kiai, the attacker lunged out of his huddled position, striking at Yahiko's knees. The young man avoided the thrust, barely slipping out of the way before the sword's point made its way through the spot where he had been standing.

_Damn! I'm going to have to finish this fast!_ growled Yahiko to himself. _He's got a sword, and I'm stuck with a shinai… _

_And his friends could appear very soon…_

The man clambered to his feet from the lunge, and had barely settled his balance, when a series of lightning-fast strikes swirled in from the left. Barely-blocked, the last two impacted on the man's ribs, giving off unnerving cracking sounds. The attacker gasped, and clutched at his side.

Yahiko grinned ferally. _Broken ribs… not good for him, but for me…!_

"Yaibasukou!"

The attack sped in, unstoppable, and the seven hits impacted perfectly – head, ear, ear, shoulder, shoulder, chest, back.

Yahiko landed behind the attacker, pivoting in his crouch in case the attacker might have somehow evaded and need more punishment. The man in question, however, wasn't going to be going anywhere fast. He slumped to the ground, an unconscious mass.

Yahiko climbed to his feet, grinning. Tsubame lay where she had fallen. He slipped over, and shook her. She blinked, and shook her head. "Yahiko…"

"It's okay, Tsubame, we can get out of here… but we need to hurry. There's no time!"

The young meiko scrambled to her feet, and then gasped, looking over his shoulder.

Yahiko froze.

_Shhhhiiiiss-skiiiiish._ The metallic, reptilian hiss of a drawing sword ripped the air, and the young samurai turned to see a tall, dark-haired man, wearing a long coat, standing in the door way, sword halfway out of the sheath. He was flanked by several others who had swords in their hands.

"Who are you?" The man's voice was icy and emotionless.

"Tsubame's friend."

"Is she a geisha?"

"No, I'm a meiko, of this okiya." Tsubame stepped from behind Yahiko, and answered the question.

The man glanced at the young woman, uninterested, and stepped over the threshold. He drew his sword fully, and began strolling towards the pair.

_It's a kodachi,_ thought Yahiko as the man approached. _Interesting._

"Are you a swordsman, boy?"

"I'm skilled in the Kamiya Kasshin Style," replied the young man, spreading his shinai to an open position to cover Tsubame from possible attacks by the approaching man.

Suddenly the man dove forwards at an incredible speed. Yahiko barely had time to react before the man was in front of the two.

Yahiko anticipated the man's lunge for Tsubame, and was there in a flash, his shinai parrying the blade, knocking it off course, rather than holding it.

_Damn… I can't parry properly, not with a shinai against a true blade…_

The stranger's sword continued its arc, and hit the floor, cleaving a slight gouge in the planking. It stuck momentarily. Yahiko took that moment to strike out with his shinai, placing a solid hit on the larger man's chest.

The stranger made a brief snort of approval, backed off, then darted in again, lightning-fast.

_What? That hit didn't even slow him down! Only Kenshin could do that…_

Yahiko's confusion slowed him just an inch too much. His parry didn't redirect the force of the blade's strike enough, and it came down on the base of the shinai's bamboo blade, shearing it off.

Yahiko desperately struck out with a half-lunge, half-punch, the broken shinai handle still clasped tight in his fist.

It missed, only just grazing the fabric of the stranger's long coat.

The stranger's sword shot out, and with the flat of the blade, he placed a hard blow on Yahiko's ribs. The young man gasped, all his breath shooting out at once. He dropped to one knee.

The stranger then lunged for Tsubame, and struck her temple, again with the flat of the blade. She collapsed, unconscious, in a heap of bright silk.

"That was stupid, boy, but you don't deserve to die. Never challenge me again," said the stranger. He voice was still ice. His blade lifted, and he knocked Yahiko down.

_And I lost consciousness… great!_ Yahiko shook his head, and looked at the space where Tsubame had been when she was knocked unconscious. There was no sign of her. _What? Where's Tsubame?_

Yahiko's question was answered as the meiko rushed into the room.

"Yahiko! Kaoru and Megumi and Tae aren't here! There's only the attendants and me! They must have been kidnapped by the men last night! We have to find them!"

"Kaoru!" Yahiko's immediate thought was for his sister, but then he thought for a moment. "I have a fair idea where they'll be."

"What? How do you know?"

"The man with the sword last night… I'm fairly sure he was Aoshi Shinomori, the second-in-command of the Kokuryukai Gang… We need help. We need to tell Kenshin and Sano!"

"Yes… They'll help better than anyone else," replied Tsubame. "Let's hurry!"

---

A tall man entered the room, flanked by two others who were obviously guards. He was dark-haired and green-eyed, well-proportioned. He wore a long white coat with yellow lapels, and carried a sword at his side. He smiled coldly as his eyes swept the room.

"Hmmm. Interesting," he muttered, then raised his voice. Its icy tones rang through the room. "I am Shinomori. I have a particular interest in seeing that you geishas are under control. You will all follow my orders. First I want to ask some questions.

"Most of you were drugged or knocked unconscious. You should not be awake. Who woke you all up?"

All the geishas paused, wondering whether it was safe – for them and for Kaoru – to point out the culprit, but Kaoru beat them to it.

"I did, sir," she said, her voice bold and unafraid.

"Who are you, girl?"

"I'm Kaoru Kamiya, sir," Kaoru replied, a puzzled accent entering her voice as she wondered the man's reason for asking.

"For your impudence, you will be punished," said the man. "Stand."

Kaoru wriggled, and strained against the wall. Restrictive though her bonds were, she could just manage to stand, wobbling precariously. _That knock on my head must have affected my balance a bit,_ she thought. She concentrated, and managed to stand still. She looked up at Shinomori, who, during her struggles, had picked his way through the seated geishas to stand in front of her.

"I'm sorry, sir. I didn't know that it was a bad idea to wake everyone up."

"Hmph. Ignorance is no excuse. From now on, you do nothing without my direction."

"Yes, sir."

"You are still to be punished. You will be freely available for use by any man who asks, for the next week." Kaoru gasped. This was indeed a punishment, especially if there were a lot of men. They would all be determined to have their 'share'. And if even one of them was diseased…

_I have to get out of here! Soon!_

* * *

**Author's Notes: **I'm sorry, all Aoshi fans! PLEEEEZE don't flame me! It's just that he's such a cool bad guy… 

No Kenshin or Sano in this chapter /sobs/ It's not fair… but I needed to exclude them for now, to let other parts of the plot develop. They'll be back (and with a vengeance!) in the next chapter, I promise!

I'm sorry if there's any plot holes… When I first wrote this chapter, it seemed like it was one massive plot hole! I tried to patch them up, but if there are any, please review and tell me! I'll fix them!

The Kokuryukai, or Black Dragon Society, were actually a historical group. They were a secret anti-Russian organization of Japanese ultra-nationalists, which started in the early 1900s. The gang I portrayed is not based on them. I used the name because it sounded cool /sweatdropsflees angry historians/.

Review! Please! Onegai!

**Review Replies:** Thanks to all my reviewers.

half-breed-demon-fox – Indeed… I love being evil… BWAHAHAHA! /coughs/ Anyway… turning out good? Heh. You're not even halfway there yet… /evil grin/

pyramidgirl89 – Don'tcha just love it? Like I said, exams got in the way of updating… ah well, here's the next chapter!

Peachie-Chan – Beautiful? O.o Whoa… Thanks… I'm honoured.

Mika – Yes, I was trying to convey how little Kaoru knows about love. Though she grew up in a loving home, her years as a geisha would have confused her as to what love really is.

miki – Thanks that you think that the story's good! About geishas… from what I've found, they operated primarily in the arts, but even the best entertainment houses were usually involved in prostitution to some extent. /begs/ Please allow me some artistic licence!

Moon&Stars – Updated… late… ah well, you had to wait a little, ne? As for what's going to happen… that would be giving away the plot, that it would! /rurouni smile/

sabella/pan – Interesting, eh? I hope this chapter has hinted that this is going to get even more 'interesting'! /evil grin/

Kao-gurl –I've tried to focus on Kaoru's strength of character, rather than her innocence. Remember, circumstances change people, and I couldn't leave her with the innocence she has in the anime/manga, not when she's a geisha. I think Kenshin would love her no matter the circumstances, though.

HiEi JaGaNsHis FlAmE – Wedding…? No, there's still a little to happen before then… /evil grin/ And don't flame me for the ending of this chapter, it's not as gross as it sounds. Really truly… /sweatdrops/ Good to know you weren't put off, though!

RangerDo'Urden – I really couldn't afford to update sooner than 5-7 days previously – exams are rather more important to me, sorry – but now that it's the holidays, I should be getting chapters out perhaps every 4-5 days. It depends on my Muses, and the dreaded Writer's Block. /shivers in terror/

gaby (hyatt – Thanks!

angelprincess22 – I'll try my best, really!


	6. Revealing Words

**To Reveal All**

**Chapter 6: Revealing Words**

**By steelphoenix**

* * *

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Rurouni Kenshin, or any of its characters. 

**Author's Notes:** I just watched one of the OVAs, Samurai X: Reflections. So SAAAAAD/sobs/ I cried at the end of the last scene… I found it at the Graphic Novel Café, a place I just recently discovered, which has soooo much anime and manga, including RK! It's wonderful!

**Language Notes: **Battousai's back!Kenshin's/Rurouni's thoughts are in _italics_, and Battousai's thoughts are in **_italic and bold_**. This is simply to distinguish between them.

A kunai is a small throwing-knife, and shurikens are throwing-stars.

An obi is the wide silk sash that ties a kimono.

'-sama' is a suffix added to someone's name to indicate great respect. Thus, 'Aoshi-sama' is similar to 'Lord Aoshi' or 'Sir Aoshi'.

A shoji door is a door in the traditional Japanese style, with split-bamboo framing and paper covering.

A Kunoichi is a female ninja or warrior.

**Warnings:**PG-13 for sexual situations/scenes and violence in other chapters. No language warnings.

* * *

Two pairs of feet clattered across the dojo's veranda, and a young man's voice was raised in a yell. "Kenshin! Sano! Where are you?" 

The rooster-headed fighter strolled into one end of the practice hall just as Yahiko and Tsubame came tearing into it from the other. The young man skidded to halt in front of Sano, Tsubame bumping into him. He began speaking rapidly.

"Kaoru and Megumi and Tae have been kidnapped! I think that Kokuryukai Gang did it! We need to find them –"

"There was no-one left but me and the attendants!" added Tsubame.

"What… wait… did you say Megumi, Kaoru and Tae have been kidnapped?" Sano was having trouble digesting what Yahiko had said.

"Yes, they were all kidnapped! They might be in trouble, but we think we might know where they are!"

"Megumi… Kaoru… Tae…" Sano's face went pale under his tan.

"What does this one hear you talking about?" asked Kenshin, coming into the practice hall. He wore what Kaoru called his 'Rurouni smile', but when he heard Tsubame's quick explanation, it faded, and his mouth turned down into a scowl.

"Kaoru-dono… Megumi… Tae…" his voice was harsh. He ducked his head, and his hands fisted. He seemed to be fighting himself, or trying to make a decision.

"Kenshin…?" asked Sano. Kenshin lifted his head, and his eyes were in a forbidding battle-expression.

There was one other major change to his eyes.

_What! His eyes… they're yellow?_ Sano thought. _Wait… red hair, cross-shaped scar, changing eyes…_

_Battousai!_

"We need a plan. Sagara, find from Kamiya where the geishas may be. Kamiya, Sanjou, I need a map of the area we're aiming for. Sort it." His voice was deeper, and held the snap of one used to command.

He stalked off towards the door of the dojo.

Yahiko pulled his jaw off the floor. "What the hell? He's talking… normally… and he called us by our surnames…"

Tsubame's voice shook. "I don't like that voice…"

Sano watched the smaller man go out of the door. "Yahiko, Tsubame. Have you heard of Hitokiri Battousai? Himura Battousai?"

"Yeah, Hitokiri – wait, _Himura_ Battousai?"

"Hitokiri Battousai. That's him?" asked Tsubame, fearful.

"That's him." Sano's voice was flat.

---

Battousai briskly strode down the corridor of the dojo, towards his room.

_That was not really necessary, Battousai!_ chided the Rurouni from the back of his mind.

**_I don't care what you think is necessary, Rurouni! I'm taking over here. You can't direct a military operation, so I need to do it,_** Battousai snapped at the usually-gentle voice.

_But this isn't a military operation!_ protested Rurouni.

**_It is,_** replied Battousai, rapidly losing his temper. **_What do you call an operation to rescue a woman from captivity?_**

_A woman? What about the rest of them?_

**_Kaoru is the only one that matters,_** said Battousai. **_She's the one you're anxious about, right? I am too._**

_What!_ Rurouni was gobsmacked. Battousai _never_ admitted to caring for anyone. To admit to it now… _You must love her as much as I do!_

**_Of course I love her as much as you do, Rurouni. Now that I am aware, I am influenced by your feelings for her. They enhance the gratitude I have for her actions to love._**

_Gratitude? That is all you feel?_

**_No. As I said, your feelings influence me to love her. But I do feel gratitude, nevertheless. She is the one who gave me my sanity. Before she kissed me, I was simply a being of anger and bloodlust. Now I am sane, and real._**

_But… you've always been insane!_

**_Not always. But now, she has returned me to the state I was in during the Bakumatsu – a warrior, able to function, without the anger I have taking me over._**

_It's been so hard keeping you – when you were mad – under control._

_**I know. But now… I'm here. I'll take care of the battles, Rurouni. You hold Kaoru's heart for us.**_

---

"You are still to be punished. You will be freely available for use by any man who asks, for the next week." Shinomori said.

Kaoru gasped. This was indeed a punishment, especially if there were a lot of men. They would all be determined to have their 'share'. And if even one of them was diseased…

_I have to get out of here! Soon!_

She sat back down, hard. Looking up at Shinomori, who loomed large over her, she said. "Is there any way I could… reduce the sentence?"

"No." He drew his sword – which Kaoru now saw was a kodachi – knelt, and cut her bonds. He lifted her to her feet.

"Follow."

Ducking her head, seemingly docile, she obeyed. Shinomori returned to the door, and pausing there, said, "Let this punishment be an example to you all. This will happen to any who disobey."

He swept out the door, beckoning both the guards and Kaoru. They followed him up a long flight of stairs, and into what was seemingly a traditional practise hall, from its polished floor and the filled weapons racks on the walls. The guards stopped as they entered the hall, and Kaoru turned back momentarily to see them sliding a panel over the opening, concealing it as perfectly as if it had never been there.

She turned back to follow Shinomori, and was met by a hard slap.

"I told you to follow me. Don't disobey."

Kaoru clutched her stinging cheek. "No, sir…" she whispered, more shocked than anything else. She had only rarely been slapped before, and certainly not with the cold ruthlessness that Shinomori had just demonstrated.

He turned, and strode away, across the room. He didn't even check that she was following. _I could try not following him…_ Kaoru thought, a mutinous, but faint, scowl on her lips. She decided not to push her luck, and followed silently.

The tall man moved down the corridors and through the rooms with a fast, smooth stride. Kaoru, despite having to half-run to keep up with him, had time to notice that all the architecture was of the traditional Japanese style, rather than the more fashionable Western design.

_Yukatas are _not _made for running in!_ thought Kaoru as she hurried after Shinomori. It was only the intensive geisha training that allowed her to add a semblance of grace to her speed.

All her training, however, didn't prevent her from slamming into Shinomori's back when he stopped abruptly outside an open door.

"Sorry, sir…" she said, quickly trying to rectify her mistake. Shinomori merely frowned down at her, with a cold and contemptuous look in his eyes. _That look is _very_ off-putting!_ Kaoru backed away slightly, looking at the floor. She had learned how to look inconspicuous when her father was angry: hopefully, the meek attitude would stay his anger.

Shinomori grabbed her by the shoulder, unceremoniously, and propelled her through the door. The room was sparsely furnished, in the traditional style, but there were several clothes racks along the back wall, holding various brightly-coloured, heavily-embroidered kimonos and robes.

Shinomori pulled out the first rack, and lifted a kimono off it. "You'll wear this."

Kaoru blanched, then spat, "No, I won't!"

The man glared at her. "Do you want me to punish you further?"

"No, but I am _never_ going to wear something that ugly!"

Shinomori glanced down at the kimono. "There is nothing wrong with it!"

"No, there most _definitely _is!" said Kaoru. The kimono was a hideous green, something near the colour of fresh grass-stains, and had two heavily-gilded orange dragons embroidered up its sides.

Shinomori sighed, demonstrating patience for the first time that Kaoru had seen. He placed the kimono back on the rack, and slid out the next one. Pulling off the nearest kimono, he held it out at her.

"I am _not_ a ninja!" Kaoru was indignant. Was the man _trying_ to pick the ugliest kimonos in Kyoto? This one was black (not as bad as the green), but down its back it held an embroidered katana, backed by a shower of kunais and shurikens.

Shinomori pushed the kimono into her hands, and, though his back was turned, Kaoru could have sworn that he snickered, the first show of emotion Kaoru had seen from him.

_No, geisha, but you're just as spirited as another ninja I know…_

Kaoru glared at him, and pushed the kimono back onto the rack. She slid out the next rack, and shuddered in horror at the kimono that was thus presented. Brown, with a pattern of brilliant blue and green leaves. Disgusting.

"Where do you get these, anyway? Whose are they?"

"These are Lady Yumi's kimonos. She is Leader Shishio's favourite," replied Shinomori, his tone back to the usual cold detachment.

"Has she got _any_ taste at all?" Kaoru muttered, wincing at the colour combination of hte next kimono.

"That is unlikely."

Kaoru turned around in shock.He had heard? Andhe was insulting a woman who likely had lot of influence with his boss? Possibly not a wise move. Why did he do it?

"I am Shishio's right-hand man. He would not sacrifice me just because that whore asked him to." Shinomori answered the question he knew Kaoru was thinking.

Kaoru stared up into his face. There was a lot more to this man than she expected.

"Well, hurry up and choose a kimono. There is meeting in an hour, which you will attend with me. Be ready." He strolled over to the wall, and leaned against it.

"Are you going to stay and watch, then?"

"I don't want you to escape."

"Fine," said Kaoru. It was slightly embarrassing to have someone watching her preparations, but there wasn't a lot she could do about it.

_First, a kimono._ She went through the clothing racks fast, occasionally wincing at some particularly revolting combinations. As she got closer to the corner of the room, the kimonos became more dusty and less disgusting. Eventually, on the second-to-last rack, she found a kimono that she liked.

It was a deep cobalt blue, a little darker than the colour of her eyes. At its hem were embroidered cherry-tree leaves in dark blue-green and purple, interspersed with red dragon scales. Its obi was incredibly detailed, too. A brilliant red embroidered dragon eating its own tail writhed across it, on a ground of cherry-tree leaves in the same colours as on the hem.

Shinomori, still leaning against the wall, sighed, exasperated at the amount of time it took to simply choose a kimono. "Hurry up."

"Yes, sir," replied Kaoru. She hurried over to the dressing-box beside the first rack, and pulled out various pots and brushes. With the aid of combs found in a drawer in the box, her hair was rapidly arranged into the traditional hairstyle. Loosening her yukata, she rapidly spread white chalk-paste over her face, neck, and shoulders. Black kohl outlined her eyes and brows, and her lips were painted on, and in no time, she was a perfect porcelain doll and a geisha.

_The yukata will have to stand in for nagajuban,_ Kaoru grimaced. The kimono wouldn't quite sit right, but hopefully it wouldn't be noticeable. Yukata tightened and kimono donned – it was slightly too short, and slightly too loose – she shuffled over to where Shinomori stood, bowed, and said, in her best voice, "Sir, I am ready."

"Good. Follow."

_I seem to be doing nothing but follow him!_ Kaoru grumbled to herself internally, while keeping pace with Shinomori's rapid strides.

Shinomori turned a corner, and was stopped rapidly as a petite young woman, dressed in a ninja uniform, bounced up to him, black plait swinging, and hugged him enthusiastically.

"Aoshi-samaaaaaaa! I've got my report!" She grinned up at the tall man, and Kaoru saw how her eyes sparkled with joy at meeting him.

"Hello, Misao. I am on my way to a meeting." Kaoru noticed a warmth to Shinomori's voice that she hadn't heard before.

"Oh, hello," said Misao, noticing Kaoru behind Shinomori. "Who're you? I'm Misao Makimachi, pleased to meet you."

"I'm Kaoru Kamiya," said Kaoru, bowing politely.

"She is one of our captives," said Shinomori. "Shishio insisted that I have a woman on my arm today. She misbehaved, so I chose her as a punishment."

"Why, what did she do?" asked Misao, obviously puzzled.

"She woke all the other geishas."

"Why, from when they were knocked out? She shouldn't be punished for that, Aoshi-sama. She saved you a difficult task."

"_What_?" Shinomori growled. "Look, I needed to make an example of _someone_. She was the nearest. Doing this will keep the others under control. Besides, I'm not going to punish her as severely as I could have."

"_What?_" Kaoru interrupted, using much the same tone as Shinomori had a minute ago. "I don't think that making a woman free for use by any man who wants her isn't _severe!_"

"_Aoshi-sama!_ Did you really make her free for any man to use?" Misao's eyes were wide and disbelieving.

"Of course I didn't, Misao!" Shinomori's words were hurried, as if he were trying to rapidly find something to appease Misao. "That was only to intimidate the rest of the geishas. She's going to be in solitary confinement for the week."

"I expect to get out of here before that!" spat Kaoru, disgusted at the man's deception of the young ninja. _Besides, I could be… Kenshin and Sano are bound to try rescuing us…_

'_Out of here'? She's expecting rescuers?_ Shinomori noted the slip, then turned back to Misao, to watch her reaction.

"Oh, that's alright then." Misao's face lost its horrified look. "I'll give you your report when you're not busy, Aoshi-sama. Bye!" She scooted off down the hallway.

"Are you really going to put me in solitary?" asked Kaoru, when Misao was out of earshot. Shinomori nodded in answer. Kaoru did a double-take, and gasped out, "You _are?_ But… why? What…?"

"I can't disappoint Misao." was Shinomori's only answer. He turned, and began walking down the corridor, clearly expecting her to follow.

_He changes my punishment just for that woman? He must be a kinder man than I thought… It was interesting how much kinder he seemed when he was with her…_ Kaoru mused as she followed him._ And he could just conceal the punishment if he wanted… He's got too much honour – and honesty – to be a mere gangster!_

Eventually they stopped outside a room – Kaoru, for the third time, narrowly avoiding running into Shinomori – and Shinomori opened the shoji. A long table was revealed, surrounded by men. At the head of the table sat a man in gi and hakama. This wasn't what made him unusual – he was covered, as far as Kaoru could see, in bandages. _He must be Shishio, the Kokuryukai's leader,_ Kaoru realised. The man was a legend in their district of Tokyo. Everyone had heard of the bandaged gang leader.

"Finally here, Shinomori? And with one of those pretty geishas on your arm? Excellent. You followed my instructions exactly." The man had a voice that grated on Kaoru's ears and nerves, but she kept her face in the false, chalky geisha mask.

"Of course, sir," replied Shinomori, his tone even icier than it had been when he had threatened the geishas. It also, Kaoru was surprised to notice, held an amount of hatred. _Why hatred? He's his boss… what reason could he have for hating him?_ Kaoru wondered.

Shinomori walked around the table, and knelt down on the pillow, half-forgetting that Kaoru was behind him, following his every move.

"Ah, ah, Aoshi, that's wrong," said Shishio, imitating (rather childishly, Kaoru thought) a parent telling off a disobedient youngster. "No weapons in my presence, and no women in the meetings."

Shinomori rose again, suppressing the desire to heave a sigh of annoyance. _Damn the man… No weapons? Everyone has daggers. Damn the girl too… but her escape is useful for my plans…_

Grabbing her arm, he none-too-gently pulled her out into the hallway, Kaoru barely managing to keep her composure and her balance. He thrust her towards a row of cushions lined up opposite the door of the meeting room.

"Sit."

Kaoru padded over to a pillow, and knelt. Shinomori crouched in front of her, pulling the kodachi out of his belt, and placed it beside her.

_I know she can use a katana… The spies didn't nickname her 'the Kunoichi' for nothing… I need a diversion, and she'll provide it nicely._

"Look after that." His eyes flashed at her, and he tapped the kodachi's hilt.

Kaoru's eyes widened. _He _wants _me to run!_

Shinomori saw her comprehension, and nodded once.

He rose, and walked through the shoji door, closing it.

Before he had even slid the shoji closed, Kaoru was plotting. _A kodachi… ideal… I can conceal it easily, but it's like enough to a katana to let me use it like one!_

_I can get away from here!_

* * *

**Author's Notes: **And the plot thickens! Aoshi's not as bad as we thought he was… and he has plans… Battousai's taken over for Kenshin… what will happen? Find out next update! 

On the note of Aoshi, I'm sorry if he seemed cruel here, with Kaoru, but, well, he does tend to seem rather cold and uncaring (except with Misao), and he does have other things on his mind here… Please don't flame/hides from lynch mob of Aoshi-sama's fangirls/ Speaking of 'Aoshi-sama', I couldn't resist leaving Misao calling him 'Aoshi-sama'. It just doesn't sound right, similar to Kenshin not calling Kaoru 'Kaoru-dono'. And I promised I wouldn't use fangirl Japanese… /sweatdrops/

Review! Please! Onegai!

**Review Replies:** Thanks to all my reviewers.

half-breed-demon-fox – I love being evil… BWAHAHAHA!

Peachie-Chan – Kenshin saving the day? He may… but have you no faith in our Kaoru? (hint, hint)

RangerDo'Urden – Gotta love the Muses… and gotta hate them sometimes, too... /glares at MuseMuse whistles innocently/ She's been attacking me more than usual recently, so I've had several fics running around in my head recently. I've started writing them, but I hate to have a fic that's half-finished, so I write the first few chapters before posting anything… Thus, you may see them later on, but not now!

angelprincess22 – Well, as you can see, she doesn't…

kenshinlover2002 – Why didn't Kaoru say yes? Well, bear in mind that this isn't quite the Kaoru we know and love. She's been a geisha for five years, and through that she's been encouraged to banish feelings, so she doesn't really know how what love is, and how to express it. I'm glad that you like the story!

jeez – I'm sorry about the inaccuracy. I did research, but apparently not enough, as most of my research indicated that many geisha houses engaged in prostitution also. However, I won't (and never really intended to) be focussing on the 'geisha' aspect of the story. Thanks for the information, and that you think my story has potential.

miki –I hope this chapter has put to rest any fears you might have had about Kenshin's reaction. Don't get off the edge of your seat yet, though. Kaoru's got a lot to go through yet…

Pixel-the-evil-fairy – Getting good? You bet! Thanks!

HiEi JiGaNsHis FlAmE – You didn't count the bit with Aoshi and Yahiko as fighting? Oh well. And just what do you mean, you hope Kenshin turns into Battousai? He already has… and may do again… and no, I am _not_ going to give away the plot here!

Jomai – Continued… and thanks!

Hi Hi – More intimacy? Hmm… I'll consider it, but I quite like it the way it is.


	7. Revealing Memories

**To Reveal All**

**Chapter 7: Revealing Memories**

**By steelphoenix**

* * *

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Rurouni Kenshin, or any of its characters. 

**Author's Notes:** GOMENGOMENGOMEN for this chappie being so late… the Internet broke down at our Hall of Residence (for the three-millionth time), and then I moved back home for the holidays, where I don't exactly have a lot of Internet access… the point is, it's here!

? reviews! TRA has now passed the 50 review mark! hands out big chocolate cookies with '50' iced on top I love all you reviewers/thinks/ Hang on, no… I like the reviewers, they encourage me… I love Kenshin more… /realises who's reading this, panics/ Errr… hang on! I love the reviewers too!

**Language Notes: **Tatami matting is the woven-reed matting on the floor of traditional Japanese buildings.

The hamon of a sword is the wavy line on the blade. It marks where the blade was tempered. Check a Japanese swords website: www. swordmark. com/ katanaparts. gif (remove spaces) is a good diagram of the parts of a katana.

**Warnings: **PG-13 for violence and sexual situations/scenes in other chapters. No language warnings.

* * *

The shoji door opened, and Kenshin walked into the practice hall. Or rather, stalked. He no longer moved with the easy grace of the rurouni, but instead with the tense poise of the hitokiri, ready to pounce at the blink of an eye. 

He strode over to the corner of the room, and opened a cupboard. In its corner, he pulled up the tatami matting, revealing the wooden floor. Drawing the sakabato, he tapped its hilt in the very corner of the cupboard, producing a hollow thonking, and a creak. The floor hinged up, and Kenshin caught it, lifting it out.

Kenshin reached into the cavity that was revealed. He lifted out a cloth-wrapped bundle. Carefully unwrapping it, he slowly revealed the long, smooth shape of a sheathed sword.

He clicked it out of the sheath.

It was a katana.

_**Ah, my deadly beauty. It's been too long since you last saw the light of day.**_

_You're not going to use _that _in the rescue, are you?_ The Rurouni's voice was fearful and horrified. _Kaoru-dono wouldn't approve of you killing people just to rescue her!_

**_You know I hate that blunt stick you call a sword!_** Battousai snapped, frustrated.

Rurouni, oddly, snapped back. _You have all the same memories as I do, Battousai! You know why I use the sakabato! I _chose _not to kill. I _chose _to become a rurouni, to lead a wandering life to make up for our sins!_

Battousai snorted in reply. **_Noble, but misguided. Blood is the only way to pay for blood._**

_I won't kill, Battousai!_

_**Who is in charge of this body, Rurouni? I am! Do you think that by simply saying 'I won't kill', you will influence me at all?**_

_Yes. You remember how my feelings towards Kaoru-dono influenced you? This will also._

Battousai growled, frustrated. Rurouni was right. His resolution of 'no killing' was strong enough to influence Battousai not to make a kill.

_Besides, Battousai, do you remember how you went mad?_

_**Yes…**_

_I had manifested, and I urged you not to kill… It could happen again._

---

Battousai stood in the wreckage of what had once been a Shinto shrine. Panting lightly, a feral grin spread across his face as his amber eyes took in the destruction he had wreaked.

This had been a shrine housing a sacred mirror. The locals believed it to be the body of the kami of the lake that lay nearby. The table on which the mirror had stood had tipped over, and the sacred mirror lay tumbled in a corner, where it had been kicked.

Slumped against the table was the torso of a man. His legs lay several feet away, where they had fallen when Battousai sliced him in half. The red doorposts had been splattered with a more meaty red – most of the guts of the soldier who was still gasping out his truncated life on the shrine's steps. Bodies were small, unmoving piles, and were scattered randomly across the shrine's floor, in puddles of blood and bodily fluids. Sectioned limbs made grotesque grave markers for those foolish enough to oppose Battousai.

Half-hidden behind the table, Battousai's target shivered in fear as the infamous assassin stalked closer. The killer was nearly silent, except for the wet slap-slap of a hakama dampened by blood.

A coughing, gasping sound manifested itself, and a young priestess stumbled, half-crouching, into the assassin's path. She had no obvious wounds, but the way she clutched her slim chest indicated that she had some major bruising there, if not cracked ribs.

"Get out of the way, girl," snarled Battousai. She had no reason to protect this scum.

"No! You…" cough, cough, "…defiled the shrine!" cough, cough, splutter. "And I give…" cough, "…this man…" cough, "sanctuary!"

She raised her head. Her brown eyes defied him, and despite the obvious pain, she straightened, still clutching her ribs.

"Out of the way, or I kill you!"

_NO! You cannot!_

The strange, gentle voice that Battousai had been hearing over the last week intervened. Battousai snorted at its panic at the thought of the death of one girl.

_**I can kill whoever I want, especially if they get in my way!**_

_She's just a girl! Surely you can get around her without hurting her!_

_**Waste of time. I need to get rid of the target, now. She's in the way, I warned her. She stays, she gets hurt.**_

Battousai lifted his red-stained katana. The priestess tilted her head forwards, resigned to her fate, awaiting his blade.

Battousai swung.

_NOOOOO!_

The katana swished close past the girl's shoulder. She stared up into the assassin's now-violet eyes in shock. He had missed!

"Girl… run…" The assassin's eyes were purple and pleading.

_**How dare you take over my body!**_

_The girl should not die!_

_**How dare…! How DARE!**_

_A life needed saving!_

**_Life needs saving!_**

Battousai laughed, a strange tone to his voice. He stumbled backwards as though he was reluctant to, but was forced. He stood in a shaft of light from the shrine's door. His blood-covered blood-red hair was aflame, and it seemed that his eyes flickered between violet and amber.

_No matter what you say, I won't let her die, Battousai!_ The calm voice held a hint of puzzlement, now. Battousai had never acted like this before…!

_**Won't let die!**_

_Battousai… Are you alright?_

_**Alright? Alright? Battousai!**_

_Insane… He's gone mad!_

_**Kill! Kill! Tasty! Pretty blood!**_

_No!_ The calm voice fought with the mad assassin as he lifted his katana over his head. Slowly, back and forwards, centimetre by painful centimetre, the two personalities vied for dominance.

Gold warred with violet in the glaring eyes.

_**Mine! Mine! I control!**_

_No! You'll kill! I cannot let a man as powerful as Kenshin become worse than a hitokiri – become a demon!_

_**Demon! Demon! Demon hides now!**_

Suddenly the presence of Battousai shrunk away from the calm voice's presence. _Battousai?_

_**Hahahaha! Fooled you! Kill! Pretty girl, pretty blood!**_

The calm voice grabbed control of Kenshin's body just before Battousai. He gasped out to the priestess "Go. I won't… uuuungh!... I'll restrain Battousai…"

---

_**You stole my body, Rurouni! You took what was not yours!**_

_It is my body also, Battousai. I was created in this body just as much as you were. We are both parts of the same person, the same man. Your guilt created me, just as my need for battle is still present as you._

Battousai was silent. Then he stood, and slipped the old sword into the waistband of his gi, next to the sakabato.

**_Look, Rurouni, this isn't for me. It's for the boy, Yahiko. He needs a sword, and he doesn't have one. Happy, Rurouni?_**

Rurouni seemed to ponder that for a minute. _Is it good to give the boy a sword? He is not going into battle with us, is he?_

_**Of course he is, Rurouni! He is trained, and we need as much help as we can get.**_

_I just don't think that one so young should be killing. Not in this peaceful era._

_**He is seventeen, Rurouni. He is a man. We first spilled blood when we were thirteen, yes, but we were a child, and he is a man full-grown. He will do better than we ever did.**_

_True. And he will know that what he does is wrong, unlike us… And know not to kill if he can. Very well._

**_You should be glad I'm not taking it, Rurouni…_** There was a hint of need in Battousai's voice. He still wanted the katana, Rurouni realised.

_Yes,_ Rurouni replied, trying to turn him away from taking the blade for himself. _I know that you are a warrior, Battousai, and as such have the urge to kill, but it's beneath someone such as you to wield a katana against fools you can best with a sakabato._

That put the nail in the coffin. Battousai chuckled, obviously tickled by that idea. **_It'll be a challenge, I think, to see if I can win even with the stick._**

_I think you can, Battousai!_

_**Of course I can, Rurouni! Let's go!**_

Kenshin rose, and slipped the katana into the belt of his gi, alongside the sakabato.

---

Kaoru knelt on the pillow, dark brows knitted as she formulated a plan. The kodachi lay on the matting beside her, waiting for her hand to its hilt.

_I can't just go straight out the front door, can I? It's too obvious, and besides, I don't even know where it is!_ She growled quietly in frustration. "Mou!"

_Oh, well, first things first. Go somewhere else, and hide the kodachi._ She stood gracefully, and glided off down the hall. Turning down the next corridor, she paused at the first shoji, listening to see if it had any occupants. No-one seemed to be in it, and opening the door a crack revealed a deserted room. Quickly, Kaoru slipped inside, and slid the shoji shut.

Looking around the room, she saw the room contained a writing desk. Slipping over to it, she pulled out a clean rag, used to wipe brushes, and rapidly wiped the geisha makeup off her face. A few quick yanks pulled out the combs and ribbons that secured her elaborate hairstyle, and she returned it to its customary high ponytail with the blue ribbon that she'd had it in before. _I'll be less noticeable if I'm not a geisha…_

Unsheathing the kodachi, carefully cut the seam of the kimono near the top of her thighs. If she walked smoothly, even if it was quickly, the seam would appear normal, but if she needed to, a quick tug at the hanging thread, and it would split, leaving her legs free for battle.

Rising, she loosened her obi, and slipped the kodachi sheath into her kimono. With its end still poking out, she sheathed the blade, and slid it down, concealing it between the swell of her breasts. She pulled the kimono's flaps tighter over the hilt, making sure it was entirely concealed, but within easy reach. Re-tightening the obi, she felt the cold sheath slap against her thigh, and it left an icy trail on her legs as she stepped out towards the door.

Once again, she checked for any signs of life before stepping into the corridor. She moved rapidly through the halls, searching for the exit. _This place is huge! It must be a palace, or something!_

_A palace…!_ Suddenly, Kaoru realised where she must be. The huge old house near the centre of Tokyo, not far from the 'Red Sakura' teahouse. _The Kokuryukai House. I _was_ right, we _were_ captured by the Kokuryukai! But that doesn't help me find where the way out is…_

---

Sano strode down the hall to Kenshin's room. As he lifted his hand to knock, the shoji slid open, and he was faced by the still-amber-eyed Kenshin.

_Okaaaay… he's still the Battousai…_ "Um, Kenshin. We know where Kaoru and Megumi and the rest of the geishas might be."

"Where?" Sano was again amazed at the commanding tone that Battousai had. Kenshin would never normally have such assurance. Though he still moved with the grace of a warrior, and could use his sword like one, he never used to have the confidence of one. He was almost always the humble rurouni, his battle-knowledge never coming to light.

_Perhaps it's that this is a life-or-death situation…_ Sano grimaced. If Kenshin went Battousai every time he – or someone he loved – was threatened…

"They were kidnapped by the Kokuryukai Gang, as Kamiya said."

"Ah," was Kenshin's only reply.

Sano wanted a longer answer. "How are we going to get them out, Kenshin?"

Kenshin's face was expressionless as he answered, "The best idea is to confront the boss, Shishio, directly, and challenge him to a duel. The Kokuryukai, leaderless, are useless, and will be easy to dispose of."

"WHAT? Dammit, Kenshin, are you suicidal or something?"

Kenshin turned his golden gaze on his friend, and an unamused smile adorned his lips. "I am the Hitokiri Battousai. Have you not heard of the atrocities I have committed?"

"Yeah… but…"

"The sins I have committed, unknown, were ten times worse than those you have heard of." The redhead turned and stalked off down the hall, leaving his friend dumbfounded. Sano gulped, then reluctantly followed the warrior. He'd heard of Battousai killing fifty men in one battle… _He did _worse_ things?_

As he followed the Kenshin to the dojo's main hall, Sano noticed _two_ sword sheaths poking out behind the redhead's back. _Odd… where did he get the second, and why?_

His question was answered when Kenshin strode into the practice hall, and went over to Yahiko, who was kneeling on the floor with Tsubame, drawing a map.

"Yahiko Kamiya." The young man looked up at the Battousai, and rose. He was nearly the same height as the older man, but somehow, Kenshin's aura made him feel smaller, as if he were a little kid again.

"Yes, sir?"

"Do you have a katana?"

"No, I don't. When Father died, his sword was sold to pay debts. I wish we didn't have to, but…"

"Then this is for you." Kenshin hooked the sword sheath out, and clicked out the blade. Yahiko took the hilt carefully, and slid it out of the sheath, holding it up to the light.

The light from the open dojo door shimmered off the blade. The curve of the katana was perfect, and its wavy hamon appeared to move as he tilted it. Up and down its edge were numerous tiny scars, and nicks in the blade. This was obviously a battle-katana that had been well used. As Yahiko tilted it this way and that, he saw that in some lights, the blade appeared to be red rather than the usual blue-grey of steel.

"Kenshin… this is going to seem a strange question, but, why does the blade look red sometimes?"

"Ah, you can see it?" The Battousai smiled, a strange cold grin. "That is blood."

Yahiko nearly dropped the katana in shock. "_Blood?_"

"Yes. That is the blade I once wielded, when I was known as Hitokiri Battousai, not Rurouni Kenshin."

---

A tall man, dressed in a white, red-bordered cloak handed a young, red-headed man a katana.

"Kenshin, with this new sword, you become a samurai. Remember, the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu is a style that must be used the right way."

"Yes, Master Hiko."

---

A tall man, dressed in black, handed a young, red-headed man, with a cross-shaped scar in his cheek, a katana.

"Now, Kenshin, with this new sword, you become Hitokiri Battousai. Use your Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu to bring a new era to Japan."

"Yes, Commander."

---

An old artisan handed a red-headed man, with a cross-shaped scar in his cheek, a sakabato.

"So, what's this for? A new sword's a new life, I always say."

"Yes, sir. It is."

---

Kenshin slid the sheath out of his waistband, and handed it to Yahiko. "A new sword is a new life, Yahiko. Give this sword a new life."

"I'm not worthy of a sword this good, Kenshin!"

"You are better than that sword, Yahiko. You do not crave blood as it does."

"I'll use it in a way to make you – and Kaoru – proud, Kenshin!" Yahiko's youthful enthusiasm at being entrusted with such a beautiful gift overflowed.

"If you want to make Kaoru-dono proud, Yahiko, we have to rescue her first."

* * *

**Author's Notes: **Just a quick series of flashbacks there. And Kenshin giving his katana to Yahiko… better hope that he doesn't break it! I know I changed the way that Kenshin was given the sakabato, but this is an AU fic, remember/grin/ I do love the scene where he's given it in the anime, though. It's really touching. 

Longer chapter! The plot is just getting more and more twisted, too. Wait until the next chapter – it gets worse!

Review! Please! Onegai!

**Review Replies:** Thanks to all my reviewers.

Peachie-Chan – Never forget that Kaoru can kick butt when she needs to… and yes, I may put her in the fighting. It just depends which way my Muse decides to turn me…

half-breed-demon-fox - winces I can just hear that Megumi laugh… I bet you loved this chapter!

kenshinlover2002 – Yes, I wanted it to seem that Aoshi is evil. But no, you'll have to wait for the next chapter before the full explanation comes out. Unfortunately, you're not quite on the right track with that… you'll just have to wait and see. /evil grin/

Ranger Do'Urden - trumpets Congratulations, you are my 50th reviewer! Anyway, writing chapters ahead of time is good idea, as it helps you know where the story is going, and whether it'll work well. Don't worry, I have every intention of finishing this story. Muse-chan is being good – not confuzzling me, or munting the plot plan – so update should be soon.

Sosoru – Yes, I intended this to move fast. It helps keep the reader from being bored… and besides which, I don't think I could bear writing 20 chapters' worth of TRA… that would be exhausting. Almost on track with your guess of the plot – well done!

Pixel-the-evil-fairy – Yes, Misao does have 'pull' with Aoshi… and, yes, I view that as a good thing/grin/


	8. Revealing Too Much

**To Reveal All**

**Chapter 8: Revealing Too Much**

**By steelphoenix**

* * *

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Rurouni Kenshin, or any of its characters. 

**Author's Notes:** YAY! REVIEWSREVIEWSREVIEWS! You guys really rock my socks! Here I am at the 65-review mark, and I was expecting to get only 20 or so… for the whole thing… /blows kisses/

**Language Notes: **None. (Whoa… weird.)

**Warnings:**PG-13 for sexual situations/scenes and violence in other chapters. No language warnings.

* * *

A dark-headed young man leaned against the gatepost of the Kokuryukai House, chatting to his fellow doorkeeper. 

"Y'know, it would be great if they let us at those geishas. What's the point of holding them here if they don't let us use them, y'know?"

"Yeah," replied his companion. "They're only a pack of sluts. There's what, twenty of them? There's eighty or so Kokuryukai. Sharing them out would be only fair!"

_A pack of sluts!_ fumed Kaoru, from behind a half-open shoji across the courtyard. _Stupid idiots… And there's only sixteen of us, what're they getting excited about? Alright, Kaoru, stop worrying about them, think of a way to get past them! _

_If I find a basket or something, they might think I was going to the market, or something, but I'm too well-dressed to be a servant… I could say that I was carrying a note from Shishio to the manager of the teahouse…_

Lost in planning, she didn't notice the room's other shoji opening.

A cold voice said "Geisha, I may have told you to come to my room, but that doesn't mean you can wander."

_Damn the girl! She had to come into _my _room, of all places!_

Kaoru snapped around, gasping. The owner of the voice was Shinomori, and this time he wasn't alone. Shishio stood beside him, and behind him was another geisha. Her hideous kimono (flame-orange, with purple flowers) led Kaoru to the conclusion that she was Shishio's favourite, Lady Yumi.

"Geisha, I told you to sit down!" Shinomori's voice snapped. Kaoru could detect a note of nervousness in his tone. It was obvious, really. If it was discovered that he had given her a weapon…

Quickly, she glided over to the row of pillows along the wall, and knelt, holding herself carefully. The kodachi slid between her legs as she knelt, and she clamped her thighs around it, willing it not to clank as it hit the pillow. It slipped down a little, but didn't land, held up by the tightness of her obi.

"Ah, your geisha. Is she why you took so long to get to the meeting?" Shishio's tone implied things that Kaoru knew were legitimate – she was a woman in captivity, after all – but not at all comfortable.

"Yes, sir. I had to get her looking presentable for you."

"You didn't have any… fun… with her before the meeting?" Shishio grinned lecherously.

Shinomori was silent. Shishio's grin only grew wider. "I think that means you did?" He chuckled. "Was she any good?"

"No, sir. Very cold and stiff." Shinomori shot a glance at her, that said, _Keep up this pretence unless you want to be discovered._

She ducked her head, trying to conjure up a blush. That would lend credibility to Shinomori's story. _Think of Kenshin's body… that might work…_ Apparently it did, as she felt her cheeks growing hot.

_Why did I think of that, anyway…?_

"Ah-ha! That's a blush, I think! Still embarrassed by your profession, girl?" Yumi had broken in, and her voice was bittersweet. She laughed, a disturbingly saccharine sound. Shishio joined her amusement, his laughter mocking the young geisha.

Yumi sauntered over to her master, and leaned against him, pressing her curves into him. She began laying light kisses along the bandages on his neck, and reached down to caress his crotch.

Shinomori turned away in disgust, and Kaoru followed his lead, turning her head to look out the open shoji to the courtyard.

Shishio found this amusing, apparently. "This is what a good geisha does, girl. Go and give Iceman there a hot time."

Not knowing what else to do, Kaoru rose, and walked over to Shinomori. He grabbed her hand, and dragged her over to the door.

"Close the shoji, Aoshi, there's a good boy," said Shishio, as Yumi pulled open his robe and began caressing him more intimately.

Shinomori, once outside the room, slammed the shoji, and, still dragging Kaoru, stormed off down the veranda. Reaching an open shoji, he shoved her inside, and slammed the shoji shut after them.

_Thank the kami that Yumi was being amorous today… that'll keep Shishio from asking too many questions…_ Shinomori thought, still angry, but partially relieved at the way the situation had turned out. But the girl had nearly got him caught…

"You nearly got caught!" he hissed at her. "If you got caught with my kodachi, I'll be killed for treachery." _There'll be no way I could get Misao out of here…_

"I stole it from your room!" said Kaoru, thinking fast.

"Possibly a good excuse. You think fast." Shinomori's voice held a hint of approval.

"Thank you, sir." Kaoru was oddly touched by his compliment. He seemed to be a man who didn't often give praise.

A tapping on the shoji interrupted Shinomori. He walked over, and slid it open. A gang member, identifiable by the black headband, muttered something to him.

"Very well, I shall come. Geisha, stay there."

---

Kenshin knelt in the centre of the dojo's practice hall. Yahiko's rough map lay on the ground in front of him.

"Right. This is what I want to happen. Kamiya, Sanjou, dress in your oldest clothes. I assume you want to be part of this?" He directed the question to the girl.

"Yes! Of course!" Tsubame was adamant. "Kaoru's always been good to me, and she's Yahiko's sister. We have to rescue her!"

"What does the fact that she's Yahiko's sister have to do anything?" grinned Sano. Tsubame blushed, and shot a glance at Yahiko. He smiled in return, and she blushed even more. _He's so nice to me… But now he knows I have a crush on him…_

"Sanjou!" Kenshin snapped, and Tsubame's attention was rapidly recalled to their 'commander'. He continued explaining, in the precise, commanding voice that the others were rapidly learning to identify as Kenshin in 'military' mode.

"I will ask to speak to the Leader of the Kokuryukai. If he allows me to speak to him, I challenge him. From what I know of him, he will accept. You two will also enter, and begin looking for the geishas, especially Kaoru and Megumi. If at all possible, set them free and lead them out."

"Sagara. You will come with me. You are my backup in case the Leader orders his gang to attack us instead of fighting him. You will hold my back with the zanbato. I will kill the Leader as fast as possible. This will cause the Kokuryukai to lose heart, and they will most likely surrender."

"Sagara, Kamiya, you have weapons. Sanjou, do you want any?"

"Yes, please," replied Tsubame decisively. She had already thought this one out. "Kaoru taught me a little about how to fight with knives."

"Good," said Kenshin, smiling at the young woman's determination. _Strange,_ thought Tsubame. _He has a smile on his lips, but not in his eyes, like he always used to… it must be the Battousai._

"We will get ready to go. It is afternoon now. This must be finished by nightfall."

---

Kaoru knelt on the tatami in the room, as he had instructed. Although she knew that now he was going to help her escape, she wasn't going to let go of the kodachi. It still nestled inside her kimono, waiting for her to draw.

_But if I have to fight to get out… Kamiya Kasshin was based on protecting others, not just yourself… I can't kill to get out!_

_Surely you'll find some way to get out without killing, without even needing that kodachi,_ the sensible part of her mind said.

_But what about the others? What about Megumi, and Tae, and everyone else?_

_Kenshin might be able to think of a way to get them out…_

Kaoru's reverie was interrupted as she heard steps coming down the veranda, and the shoji slid open. Shinomori's voice snapped out, "Geisha, get up."

---

Four people stood near the gate of the Kokuryukai's base. The three dark-haired ones waited for Kenshin's direction.

"Don't forget, Kamiya, Sanjou. Get them out as fast as possible, and then go to the courtyard." He stepped out, and Sano followed his lead, boldly walking up to the front gate. He was wearing his usual magenta gi and white hakama, but over them flapped a white merchant's robe. Kenshin had explained earlier that the robe was excellent concealment for the sakabato, and would lend him an air of respectability that would make it easier for him to be admitted to the gang compound.

"What are you here for?" The two guard asked, aggressively, their hands on their knives, eyeing Sano and the cloth-wrapped zanbato on his back.

"I am here to see your Leader." Kenshin's reply was cold and quietly polite.

The first guard grinned. "You must be the manager of that geisha house. Here to get your whores back?" When there was no answer from Kenshin, he snorted. "Alright, you can come in."

"Thank you." Kenshin walked through the gate, followed by the guard. **_Stupid,_** Battousai remarked. **_What manager would carry a sword?_**

_You can't blame him for assuming things,_ Rurouni pointed out. _You can't see the sword in this robe's folds, and you must admit, we do look like a manager in it._

"Right, you can wait here. I'll get the second-in-command. You don't need to see Leader Shishio."

"Why can I not see the Leader?" asked Kenshin. **_Damn… that wrecks the whole plan, if I can't challenge the Leader…_**

The guard grinned lecherously, and pointed at a closed door, across the courtyard. "He's in there. If you want to try interrupting him, then do."

"Thank you." Kenshin followed the man's pointing finger, and began walking in that direction.

The guard sprinted over, following him, and skidded to stop in front of the redhead. "No! Don't! I wasn't serious! You can't interrupt him if he's with Lady Yumi! It'll cost me my head!"

**_Who cares about your head!_** snarled Battousai.

_Now, now, we don't want any unnecessary deaths, Battousai,_ said Rurouni's calm voice.

The guard's yelling caused a stir among the gang members grouped around the courtyard. Hands flicked to sword and knife hilts, especially as the men noticed the cloth-wrapped package on Sano's back that could only be a weapon. Then, as Kenshin halted, obviously obedient and under control – he was only a merchant, after all, the guard could deal with him – they turned back to their card games and polishing weapons.

"Very well. We shall wait." Kenshin's voice held underlying anger as he walked up the veranda steps, and knelt down, settling himself sitting looking out at the courtyard. Sano followed, and following the lead the guard had unwittingly given him, positioned himself behind Kenshin, as a bodyguard would.

"Okay… I'll get the Second…" the guard said, apprehension in his voice. "Just… please don't do anything… stupid…"

Kenshin just gazed straight ahead. Sano, behind him, looked down at his friend. _It's strange how much he's changed as Battousai… before, he would have been friendly to the guard. Now he's just cold and indifferent… following the mission…_

Sano heard a step on the veranda, and turned to see a tall, dark-haired man, dressed in a long white coat over dark purple ninja gear coming towards them. Kenshin, too, turned his head, and, noticing the guard behind the man, concluded that this was the Second.

The tall man flicked his hand at the guard, who returned to his post. Turning to the two men that were waiting for him, he spoke. "I am Aoshi Shinomori, the Second of the Kokuryukai."

_Wow,_ thought Sano, _And I thought that Kenshin's voice was cold._

Kenshin, taking the pose that he was the manager of the entertainment house, bowed deeply, and replied, "Sir, I am glad to meet you. I am here to negotiate the release of the geishas of the entertainment house."

Shinomori smiled coldly. "Follow me." _He's not the manager of the entertainment house… therefore… he must be…_

Slightly bemused, Kenshin and Sano followed the tall man down the veranda. He slid open a shoji, and entered a room, snapping out an instruction to a woman who knelt on the floor. "Geisha, get up."

---

Kaoru turned, and at the door, behind Shinomori, were Kenshin and Sano. Her hand flew to her mouth, and she gasped. She took a rapid step forward, about to launch herself to fly into Kenshin's arms, but… _Wait! I can't betray him!_ her mind screamed.

_But he's here! He came for me! Kenshin!_ She put on her geisha face, but inside, her heart was singing. He'd come, even though she had thought that she would have to escape on her own.

_But… Why am I so happy to see him? Does this mean…?_

Kenshin smiled at her, relief flooding his face, and he was about to step forward, when he was caught. **_No! Rurouni, you idiot! Don't take over! We have to get her out first, deal with my successor, _then_ you can do what you like!_** Battousai yelled at his counterpart, furious.

_Sorry, Battousai… I was just so glad…_

**_I know! Just let me finish this!_** Battousai snapped, and took over again. Kenshin's face snapped into the expressionless mask it had been before.

Shinomori slid shut the shoji. "Your reaction confirms what I thought," he stated coldly to Kaoru. "These are the rescuers you were expecting."

Kaoru nodded, hoping Shinomori would continue acting in the vein he had been previously.

"Geisha, I need a diversion for time to escape. You are a swordswoman, am I correct?"

"Yes," replied Kaoru, confused at the term 'escape'. Apparently Kenshin had noticed, also. "Escape?" he asked, his voice puzzled. **_What?! He wants to escape?!_**

"Yes, I want to escape, with a friend. I may be the Kokuryukai Second, but I was coerced into it."

"But… but… You're a gang member! How could you… why…?" Sano stuttered, flabbergasted.

"My family owed Shishio a samurai debt, and I am the only surviving member of my family. Shishio called the debt, and this is how I serve it out. Lately, however, I have been growing more concerned for a… friend… of mine. I wish to escape, and help her to do the same."

"But… All samurai debts were cancelled at the beginning of the Meiji," said Kaoru, confused.

"I am a man of honour. I will fulfil my duties." Shinomori's icy voice, and gaze, froze her to the spot.

"You can't let Kaoru be the decoy!" interrupted Sano. "I'll –"

Sano's offer to be the decoy was stopped short by Kenshin, whose golden glare told him to shut up. He wasn't about to argue with one of the most deadly men in Japan.

Kenshin took over where Sano had left off. "Sir. Don't use Kaoru as a diversion. I will be the diversion." _I can't let Kaoru-dono become a target!_

Shinomori turned, with the hint of a sneer on his face. Contemptuously, he asked, "Are you even a swordsman, _merchant?_"

"I am no merchant." Kenshin's voice rang with the cold pride of a warrior, and he folded back the merchant's coat to show the sakabato's hilt.

Shinomori's eyes narrowed at the sight of the swordhilt, and he asked, "Then who, and what, are you?"

"I am Kenshin Himura," replied Kenshin. "I was once a rurouni. I am at present a dojo master."

Shinomori's eyes became considering. "How good a swordsman are you?"

Kenshin's amber gaze met Shinomori's blue one levelly. "I lived through the Bakumatsu."

"You lived… what were you?"

"I was once a hitokiri."

Shinomori paused for a long second, then nodded. _I know who this man is._ "Hitokiri Himura Battousai."

Kenshin' only answer was a single nod, his amber eyes darkening from a light, expressionless gold, to a forbidding ochre glare. The glare warned, _Speak of this and you die._

"Then you have business with Shishio Makoto also?"

_**Shishio Makoto. I remember someone by that name…**_

"I am here for Kaoru. If I must fight to protect her, I will." Obliquely avoiding the question, Kenshin moved over to the woman, still half-watching Shinomori, and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Are you alright, Kaoru-dono?" The tone was the Rurouni's, Kaoru noted, but the eyes and hard face were still the Battousai's.

"I am, thank you, Kenshin. But I need no-one to protect me. I can fight if I need to." _He knows I can fight! I'm no helpless maiden to need protecting! …Though, it was very sweet of him to want to… I wonder if that was Kenshin, or Battousai?_

Kenshin smiled slightly, the still-amber eyes amused. "I know. However, I need you to help the geishas to escape. Your brother and Tsubame are going to be attempting to find them also. If you find the two of them, have them aid you." _Dear Kaoru-dono, _said the Rurouni. _I know she doesn't need protecting… can't she see it's just that I want her to be safe?_

**_Headstrong as she is, Rurouni, she probably knows that you mean it that way, but still wants to assert her independence._** Battousai's tone was amused. Rurouni grinned internally at his voice, knowing that Kaoru's outspoken attitude was one of the things that endeared her to the fiery warrior half.

"Helping the geishas escape?" Shinomori's voice was almost as cold as when he had been speaking to Shishio. "If you only want the one woman, why are you helping the rest escape?"

"I cannot, in all honour, allow women to be kept prisoner," Kenshin replied, his tone nearly as cold as Shinomori's, and almost rebuking, as if he was reproaching the Kokuryukai Second for forgetting the laws of chivalry and honour that a samurai had to uphold.

"I had to follow the orders of my lord. I will not betray him simply because of a group of women." Shinomori rapidly denied Kenshin's implied unfavourable view of his conduct.

"Samurai debts were cancelled. You have no lord."

Kaoru could sense the tension between the two men, almost palpable. As Kenshin – Battousai – met Shinomori's steady glare, she realised. They were testing each other, measuring the other's strength. _It's not even important, but their warrior ways can't desert them now… And when two people as strong as they are competing… _

"_I honour my debts,_ Battousai. You may be an assassin, but you should understand that."

"I do." Kenshin's face was largely emotionless, mirroring Shinomori's. Only their eyes sparked with the warrior's fire.

Shinomori at last sighed, and looked over to Kaoru. "I have revealed, and done, too much, but I will take the geisha to where the other geishas are being held, and guide them to the back gate. That is all I will do. I must go. Battousai, start a fight in the courtyard as soon as possible." He turned on his heel, moving towards the door, and beckoned to Kaoru.

"Wait –" Kaoru called after the retreating man. He paused at the door that opened deeper into the compound.

She quickly turned to Kenshin and Sano. "Thank you for coming to help… Be careful."

"Thank you, Kaoru-dono," replied Kenshin, with a quick smile and nod. **_Rurouni! Did you really have to use that silly smile? Now she's going to think we're silly!_**

_Worried, are we, Battousai?_ asked the Rurouni, semi-maliciously.

**_I can't have the Battousai grinning stupidly,_** snapped Battousai, too-hurriedly.

"Don't you worry, Kaoru! We'll be fine!" Sano's exuberant grin was almost fake, but he made it nevertheless. _I don't want to worry Kaoru. Knowing her, she's worrying enough about getting the other geishas out of here._

She turned, following Shinomori, and Kenshin sighed as the last flick of her kimono disappeared.

_I wish she didn't have to leave,_ said the Rurouni, forlornly.

**_She could fight with us… It would be fun having her fight by our side, Rurouni._** Battousai teased.

_Put Kaoru-dono in danger? Never!_

**_I was joking, Rurouni… We could never put her in danger…_** Battousai let out a half-regretful sigh. Then, as Rurouni let go, he lifted control of the body totally into his own will.**_ Let's go!_**

"Right, Sagara, let's go."

* * *

**Author's Notes: **I'm not sure whether the samurai's laws had the 'chivalry towards women' attitude that Western knights have – from what I can discover, they didn't – but I included it anyway… I needed it for the plot. 

What do you think of Tsubame? I really need you to tell me what you think of her characterisation. I don't think I've got her quite 'right'… ah well…

Review! Please! Onegai!

**Review Replies:** Thanks to all my reviewers.

sprinkles73 - You're welcome! /bows/

half-breed-demon-fox - Updates are subject to my Internet privileges, but trust me, I'm writing them!

kenshinlover2002 - I made it so Kenshin gave his sword to Yahiko because he's got so many memories with that sword, and they had to be banished somehow. Giving it to Yahiko, who would use it well, was the best idea.

half-demon-from-Azarath - Updates are fun... but may be somewhat uneven in terms of timing...

Peachie-Chan - Well, perhaps not as twisted as you'd like, but yes, kinda twisted...

Dagorwen of Ithilien - Hehe. Like I said to half-breed-demon-fox, updates are subject to my Internet privileges, but I am writing them.

HiEi JaGaNsHis FlAmE - Glad you think it's getting interesting... there's battle sequences coming up in a couple of chapters, which will be even more interesting!

RangerDo'Urden - The in-head fights between Rurouni and Battousai are really fun to write - you should try it sometime! Ask your Muse for help. She may try to screw it up, but keep her on the right track, and it'll turn out great!

Jomai - You like it? Good!

Sosoru - I enjoy the banter, but I don't think it makes Kenshin as a whole seem insane. It's just like when you argue with your conscience - except the conscience we're talking about here is a bloodthirsty manslayer... Yes, that is indeed the beauty of AU.


	9. Revealing The Way

**To Reveal All**

**Chapter 9: Revealing The Way**

**By steelphoenix**

* * *

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Rurouni Kenshin, or any of its characters. 

**Author's Notes:** This was a really hard chappie to write. I kept getting lost in the middle of scenes, wondering what was going to happen next… but eventually, I got everything going. Once I got to the second-to-last scene, it was working quite well. Here's to hoping it's OK… /crosses fingers/

**Language Notes: **Okashira means 'leader'. In this case, it is a referral to Aoshi's leadership of the ninjas.

'Vulpine' means 'fox-like'. (Yes, it _is_ English. Honto ni! Truly!)

**Warnings:**PG-13 for violence and sexual situations/scenes. No language warnings.

* * *

Kaoru followed Shinomori down the corridors of the Kokuryukai House, until they came to the training hall that Kaoru remembered from the morning. As they crossed its smooth floor, Shinomori began fishing in a pocket of his long, white coat. He pulled out a ring of keys, and handed them to Kaoru. 

Pausing in front of the section of wall that Kaoru remembered, Shinomori slid his hand along the supporting beam until he came to a pair of knots – one was round, and the other was curved around one side of it. He then pressed at the section of panel right next to the knot. A small rectangle of panel hinged back.

"Keys," requested Shinomori, and Kaoru quickly passed the big ring. He inserted one of the smaller keys into the rectangle, twisted, and Kaoru could hear tumblers click over. Shinomori slid back the panel, revealing the flight of stairs. He shooed her in, and, handing her the keys, followed. He reached up to a lantern hanging on a peg to the side, and, lighting it with a match, he handed it to Kaoru.

Shinomori slid the panel closed, and gestured Kaoru to lift the lantern higher. "Look. You open the panel by lifting this lever –" he pointed to a metal latch, "– and sliding the panel back. Look through here to check that the coast is clear." He pointed to a knot high in the woodwork of the door. Kaoru stood on tiptoe – she could barely reach – and peered through the gap.

"I can see most of the hall," she said, turning to the tall man.

"Yes. Make sure you use it before you take out the geishas. I suggest you take them out in groups."

"I was going to do that," Kaoru replied. "It's more dangerous, but it's more likely that more will get away that way."

Shinomori nodded in agreement. "Come."

He walked down the stairs, his steps quiet and smooth. _You can see he's a warrior, just by the way he moves,_ thought Kaoru. She followed almost as smoothly, but not as quietly, her reed sandals slapping against the treads, where his leather-soled boots slid with barely a whisper.

They reached the bottom of the stairs, and Shinomori held out his hand. Kaoru handed the keys over, and with a quick click and a push, the door swung open.

---

Megumi huddled against the wall, shivering slightly. The cellar where they were was quite cold, despite the body heat of the geishas. She was lucky that she had a thick yukata, though. Many of the women were stuck with light yukatas, and some of the women had nothing at all to wear.

_Dear Kami-sama, let the manager find the ransom money soon… _If he didn't, Megumi knew that the women who were naked would catch colds, and perhaps the deadly pneumonia or influenza.

_But Kaoru… she's in a worse situation than any of us…_ Her friend was most likely being raped now, and there was nothing she, or anyone else, could do about it. _Or perhaps there is… If Kenshin came… he'd set her free. Sano would come too… I wonder if he'd look for me?_

Her thoughts were paused as she heard a pair of feet coming down the stairs. The steps weren't heavy, but they could be heard… almost as if they were a woman's… _Kaoru? Is she safe?_

There was a click, and the door swung open, revealing Shinomori, in all his icy glory, and Kaoru behind him.

The geishas all instinctively shrunk back, not wanting to be chosen for the fate that Kaoru had.

Then Megumi noticed that Kaoru was standing tall, dressed in a beautiful kimono, and was smiling happily. _What's happened…?_

"Megumi!" Kaoru picked her way through the geishas, who were staring at her, all wondering why she was here, apparently unharmed, and in the company of the Second of the Kokuryukai, who had threatened her with such a gruesome punishment.

"Why're you…? Weren't you punished…?" asked Megumi, disbelieving and confused.

"Shinomori just wanted to intimidate us, Megumi. It's alright, we're safe with him. He's a good man, he's helping us."

The sapphire-eyed geisha knelt in front of her friend, and, reaching into her kimono, laboriously pulled out a sheathed sword.

"Where in Kami-sama's good name did you get _that?!_" Megumi exclaimed, her eyes moving incredulously between the sword in Kaoru's hands, and the icy man at the doorway, who was watching Kaoru with every appearance of perfect calm.

"He gave it to me," replied Kaoru, nodding her head in Shinomori's direction. She unsheathed the kodachi, and was now cutting off Megumi's bonds. "Listen. We're going to get out of here. Kenshin and Sano are here –"

"_Sano's_ here?!"

"I thought you would be happy about that," grinned Kaoru, now working on the rope at Megumi's wrists. That earned her a glare from her friend. She continued, "I'll lead you out, in three groups of five, and then, when we're all out, we can go to the dojo."

"You make it sound so simple," replied Megumi, getting up, and shaking her wrists to get rid of the last vestiges of pins-and-needles.

"But why the dojo, Kaoru?" asked Tae, as Kaoru began freeing her.

"Because there's most likely still Kokuryukai at the teahouse. They don't know the dojo, and so won't suspect that we'll go there."

"They'll tail us," said Megumi, quickly. "It won't be that simple!"

"If you are lucky, it will be that simple." Shinomori had at last spoken up. "I will lead you the first time, and then I will leave. You will have to work on your own from there."

"Will there be any Kokuryukai likely to stop us?" Kaoru asked, her eyes on her hands, but her mind planning the escape. She moved around the room, cutting the geishas' bonds.

"Not when I am with you. The Kokuryukai fear me, and will not get in my way. It will be a lot more difficult when you are alone. However, Battousai's attack in the courtyard will distract most of them." Shinomori's voice was calm. "If you meet anyone wearing a red headband, instead of the Kokuryukai's black, they are one of my lieutenants. Tell them that the Okashira wants them to aid you, and they will."

Kaoru stood, having cut the last geisha's ropes. "Is that all you have to tell me?"

"Yes. Get ready to go."

---

Yahiko and Tsubame stepped around the corner of the corridor, gazing around at the polished wooden floors and bamboo screens that looked exactly the same as the last corridor's. They shrunk back against the screens as a group of men wearing black headbands strode past.

"Yahiko, do you know where we are?" asked Tsubame, grabbing onto the back of his gi, stopping him. He turned around.

"Um… no, I don't have a clue," he replied, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Why don't we ask someone, then?" asked the meiko, practically.

The young samurai stared at her as if she had just grown another head. "We can't!" he exclaimed. He looked around, and lowered his voice. "What if we get caught?!"

"We'll think up a story," said Tsubame, blushing under his gaze. "Like… like… I'm a kitchen girl – I mean, I look like it – and… and you're my brother… and you're going to join the gang… umm… and you're taking me home, and we need to find… umm… the gate!"

"Okay… that might work… Yeah, that's a good idea, Tsubame!"

The girl smiled up at him, still blushing, and Yahiko had the brief thought, _She looks cute like that_, before she turned, and walked away.

"Hey, Tsubame! Wait!" He jogged after her, catching up as she stopped beside a woman with a mop and bucket.

"Excuse me, ma'am… Do you know where the gate is?" she asked, smiling up at the woman. With the remnants of the blush on her face, her sparkling eyes, and bright smile, she looked perfectly adorable. How could anyone resist?

"The back or the front gate?" The woman smiled in return at the pretty young girl.

"Umm… Yahiko, was it the front gate or the back gate? It was the back gate, wasn't it?" Tsubame turned to the young man, asking him to make the decision.

"The back gate." Yahiko replied. _We could be getting ourselves into hot water here… and we haven't even found Kaoru yet…_

"Is this your young man, then?" The woman addressed Tsubame, smiling benevolently. The question caused both of the young people to blush a deep red, and Yahiko opened his mouth to deny it.

He was beaten to it by Tsubame. "Umm… well… umm… yes."

Yahiko's would-be protest was silenced when he looked to Tsubame. She was gazing up at him, her eyes pleading with him. _I suppose it doesn't hurt… and I can't really deny it now, anyway…_ he thought.

"Ah, young love…" the woman had begun reminiscing about her husband and their young days. Tsubame waited for the end of a sentence, and quickly interrupted, asking the way to the gate.

"Ah, I'm sorry, dears. I do get distracted when thinking about my dear Nobuhiro. Turn right at the end of the corridor, and go straight until you reach a courtyard. Cross it, and then follow the corridor to the left. You should be able to see the gate from there."

"Thank you very much," said Yahiko, bowed, and grabbed Tsubame's hand. Tsubame also bowed, and they walked off down the corridor, hand-in-hand.

"See, that worked," said Tsubame, a little breathlessly. _He's holding my hand! He's holding my hand!_ was the largest thought in her head. Never mind finding the geishas, or even the exit… Yahiko, the guy she'd had a crush on for most of the last three months, was _holding her hand!_

"It did," replied Yahiko, grinning down at her. Then he looked down at their joined hands, and went red. "Umm… do you want to… umm… let go, or…?"

"Err… umm… it's okay…" said the meiko, blushing and smiling.

"Good…" he replied, and they strolled off down the corridor.

---

The geishas were now standing, milling around, scared and unsure what to do. Kaoru, Megumi and Tae began organising – getting kimonos or yukatas, or nagajuban at the very least, to cover the women who were naked, calming anyone who seemed likely to get hysterical, and sorting them into the three groups.

Eventually, all was ready, and the first group got ready to go. This group contained the four women who were most likely to be hysterical or scream, and Megumi, to guide them to the dojo. It was decided that since they were unlikely to be stopped, it was best to put those who would react badly to a dangerous situation in a group where that situation wouldn't occur.

Up the dimly-lit stairs and into the hall they trooped, Shinomori leading, the four in a huddled group, Megumi herding them along, and Kaoru as rearguard.

A whimper from one of the women was quickly calmed by Megumi with some warm words. Then Megumi gestured to Shinomori, who was calmly walking along. Apparently she had said that they were in no danger, because the Kokuryukai were scared of him. That calmed the women's nerves a little, Kaoru observed, as they realised that they were highly unlikely to get caught.

In less than five minutes, the group was out of the building, on a green lawn, and Shinomori directed them over to a group of sakura trees.

"We will wait here."

"_What?!_" Kaoru hissed at the tall man, wondering what he was playing at now. The longer they stayed in one place, the more likely they were to get caught…

"We don't know if Battousai's diversion worked yet. We must wait for the guards at the back gate to be distracted. At present, they could still notice our leaving."

"You mean we aren't leaving via the back gate?" asked Megumi, momentarily turning away from comforting a woman in purple yukata.

"No." Shinomori gestured to the corner of the wall that ringed the house. Kaoru looked, and saw, under a lantern, a small gate, about half the height of a normal man. Beside it was a small sheltering roof, under which was stacked a huge pile of logs and kindling of varying sizes.

"Ah, so we're using the woodsman's gate," said Kaoru, her tone enlightened. "But why can't we leave now?"

Shinomori rolled his eyes briefly, and pointed at the back gate. Kaoru looked, and blushed, embarrassed. Of course they couldn't leave now, not when the woodsman's gate they were using was well-lit, and well within sight of the guard.

Suddenly, there was a commotion at the back gate, as a man ran up to one of the guards. A hurried and excited conversation was carried out, with much hand-waving, and gestures. The guard made to hurry off with his friend, but was stopped. Another brief conversation, the guard pointed to the gatepost, where a man was sleeping, and then the two hurried off.

"The diversion worked… and the other guard's asleep. Kami-sama is smiling on us tonight!" said Megumi, grinning like her vulpine namesake.

Shinomori gestured impatiently, and the group scurried out of the shadow of the trees, and over to the woodsman's gate. Megumi lifted the latch, and slipped through the gate first. One by one, the four other geishas stepped through, apprehensive and scared.

When they were out in the street, Megumi impulsively ducked back through, and hugged Kaoru, hard.

"Good luck, and may Kami-sama be with you." Megumi smiled, a little unsteadily, trying not to give in, and let her brimming eyes show. She knew that this might be the last time she saw her friend, her 'younger sister'. Though she would get safely to the dojo, with the others she was guiding, Kaoru was going back into a gang house, where she could very easily get into a lot of trouble.

_Kami-sama, guide her steps… keep her safe._

"Thanks, Megumi." Kaoru returned the hug, holding tight to the woman who had been there for her since she had become a geisha, who had helped her realise what she felt for Kenshin, who knew her like a true sister.

The fox-woman reluctantly let go, awkwardly patting Kaoru on the shoulder, and stooped out through the door, pushing it closed behind her.

Kaoru turned to go. Shinomori, who had been standing mostly motionless, waiting, stretched out his hand, and handed her the key to the hidden room.

"I wish you luck." He bowed briefly, then turned, and strode off at a half-run across the lawn towards the mansion.

Kaoru followed, but due to her shorter legs and more restricting clothing, she was only three-quarters of the way to the house when Shinomori disappeared into it.

_I thought I'd have his help for a little longer… I wonder if he's going to help Kenshin and Sano…? I hope they're alright…_

_Dear Kami-sama, let Kenshin be alright…!_

---

Kenshin stepped out onto the wide veranda, his wide merchant's robe billowing in the faint spring wind. The sakabato's hilt flashed for a moment, but was quickly re-concealed as Battousai saw the guards at the gate and the gang members wandering around the courtyard.

He was relatively unnoticed, but a few noted the man who had caused the guard some trouble, and his bodyguard.

The duo moved smoothly along the veranda, until they were opposite the room that the guard had indicated the leader was in. Hearing strange noises from behind the shoji, Kenshin paused a moment.

_Is he doing what I think he's doing, Battousai?_

The revolted tone of Rurouni's voice caused the warrior spirit to chuckle to himself. **_Yes, probably, Rurouni._** An evil grin was evident in his voice. **_You should know what those sounds mean… after all, you've been the one making them sometimes…_**

_Don't be disgusting, Battousai!_ The tone of Rurouni's voice indicated that you could have cooked rice on his face.

**_Oh, come on, Rurouni… Don't you remember Tomoe? Ah, your dear, dear wife. She was such a beautiful, wonderful woman._**

"Um, Kenshin… you're grinning… really _disturbingly_…" Sano sounded nervous. And why shouldn't he be? After all, this is the Hitokiri Battousai, someone whose name puts bad children to sleep in fear of their lives.

The red-head turned to his friend, malevolent amusement in his amber eyes. "Don't worry, Sagara. I'm just teasing the Rurouni."

Sano almost did a double-take, but restrained himself – barely. _Whoa… they really _are_ two different people in the same body… freaky…_

The malicious grin deepened, and Kenshin raised his hand to the shoji.

"Shall we disturb Shishio's fun, Sagara?"

Before Sano could say yea or nay, Kenshin's hand came down, and he knocked loudly.

At the knock, the Kokuryukai's heads flew up. No-one should be knocking on that door… they had seen the mutilated messes left when Shishio was angry, and this impertinent merchant was likely to be another of them…

The sounds inside ceased after a moment, and angry, quick footsteps made their way across the matting. The shoji was flung open, smacking hard against the doorpost.

"_WHAT DO YOU WANT?!_" Shishio's bandaged face was contorted in anger at the interruption. His expression was mirrored by Yumi, who was still sitting on the floor, outer kimono around her waist, face flushed. Shishio's bandages were properly in place, but the slight disarray of his robe confirmed that the Rurouni's guess had been correct.

"There are only two reasons a man interrupts another man's pleasure, Shishio." Kenshin's voice was eerily calm, and his face had gone back to the Battousai's usual expressionlessness.

"What do you mean?" Shishio questioned, anger and confusion mixing on his face.

"There are only two reasons a man interrupts another man's pleasure," repeated Kenshin, his eyes blazing amber.

"Love. And war."

* * *

**Author's Notes: **EEEEEVIL EEEEEVIL cliffhanger there. Hehe… Just you wait. You'll love the next bit. 

Before you all ask, no, Kenshin did not really know Shishio during the Bakumatsu. I'm following the anime here, where Shishio was Kenshin's replacement. So while Shishio knows about Kenshin, Kenshin is fairly much ignorant about the mummy (Yes, I sometimes call Shishio that).

In case you're wondering, matches were invented in 1826 by John Walker, and were patented by Samuel Jones. They were produced under the name of 'Lucifers', and were widely available. So, yes, I am being historically accurate.

Review! Please! Onegai!

**Review Replies:** Thanks to all my reviewers.

Peachie-Chan - That would be giving away the plot...

kenshinlover2002 - I had to have a decent reason for Aoshi to be with Shishio. I'm not sure whether the idea I had worked, but... it makes Aoshi not quite such bad guy after all, and leaves room for more plot.

half-breed-demon-fox - Enthusiastic as always! I'm glad you love it!

HiEi JaGaNsHis FlAmE - He wasn't supposed to sound like that! /sweatdrops/ I tried to get it so that Battousai's military experience is showing. But remember, he's worried about Kaoru, so he comes out rather snappy, and 'boot-camp'-ish.

Justin - You don't think I'd just leave it there?! No, I have a lot more to write.TRA'll probablyend up about 15 chapters long.

Sosoru - Yep, Internet connection is similar - i.e. updating is erratic. But with the couples I'm doing, I wasn't trying for sweet... /sweatdrops/ oh well, it'll turn out well in the end, I hope. And not too merangue-ish.

evilteddybear - Patience is a virtue... Though I did make you wait here!

Lyn - I'm doing it...

blue-katana-girl - The Battousai/Rurouni conversations are fun to write, as is the way it's an AU fic... so I'm just having a lot of fun here!

thechickenlittle2000 - And see more of it you shall...! Just you wait...


	10. Revealing Pause

**To Reveal All**

**Chapter 10: Revealing Pause**

**By steelphoenix**

* * *

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Rurouni Kenshin, or any of its characters. 

**Author's Notes:** I just have to put a bit of the last scene in, so that you can carry on reading, and it flows nicely. Besides which, I really like Kenshin's line here… /sweatdrops/

This chapter is a pause, a wait, in itself. This is the deep breath before the plunge… I had some more material to include here, before the fight, but at the end, I have given you the start of what I hope should be an epic battle.

BTW: I'm going to rewrite the first three / four chapters. I have discovered MAJOR inaccuracies, so I'm redoing them… I hate inaccurate writing… Expect them out some time after this chapter, maybe as my next update. Apologies to miki and jeez for not doing this earlier, given that you pointed it out to me. /sweatdrops/

**Language Notes: **Battoujutsu is Kenshin's sword-drawing technique, where he draws the sakabato at god-like speed, and has a very distinctive stance. It's best seen in the anime.

Hiltless katana – By this I mean one of those katanas which appears to be a long stick, until it's drawn, like the one the yakuza leader uses in Episode 2 of the anime.

**Warnings:**PG-13 for violence and sexual situations/scenes. No language warnings.

* * *

"_WHAT DO YOU WANT?!_" Shishio's bandaged face was contorted in anger at the interruption. His expression was mirrored by Yumi, who was still sitting on the floor, kimono around her waist, face flushed. 

"There are only two reasons a man interrupts another man's pleasure, Shishio." Kenshin's voice was eerily calm, and his face had gone back to the Battousai's usual expressionlessness.

"What do you mean?" Shishio questioned, anger and confusion mixing on his face.

"There are only two reasons a man interrupts another man's pleasure," repeated Kenshin, his eyes blazing amber.

"Love. And war."

---

"Love? War? What are you talking about?!" The confusion on Shishio's bandaged face was evident, as was his discomfort at the situation. He was a man who didn't like unpleasant surprises, and given the expression on this merchant's face, this was likely to be a _very_ unpleasant surprise.

"You recall how you kidnapped the geishas?" asked the strange redhead.

"Yes…?" Shishio's confusion grew deeper. _What does a merchant have to complain about…? Unless…_

The realisation struck him suddenly, and a slight smirk appeared on his black lips. _Of course. I've kidnapped the woman he loves… That's why he said that this was about love!_

"I see you have realised why I am here, Shishio."

The Leader of the Kokuryukai was surprised that a mere merchant had picked up on the reason that he was smiling.

"And now you're wondering how a mere merchant can understand what you're thinking." The redhead's tone was smug.

Shishio stood dumbstruck for a moment, and the watching Kokuryukai strained forward, wondering what he'd say or do, and how he'd punish the cocky disruption.

Shishio threw his head back, and laughed, a hacking but resonant sound. The Kokuryukai sat back, relieved. If the Leader was laughing, there was no reason to worry. An amused Shishio was not as dangerous as an annoyed Shishio.

"So you're a bit of a swordsman, are you, merchant?" Shishio's smug tone matched that of the merchant a minute earlier.

"Oh, more than a _bit_, Shishio. You'll find I more than match you."

The cynicism in the man's tone set Shishio's teeth on edge, and he snapped out, "There's only one man who could hope to match me, let alone beat me, you fool! And there's no way you're the Hitokiri!"

A sardonic smile curved the merchant's previously expressionless lips, and his question was icy and bitter. "No way, Shishio?"

"Battousai's dead," said Shishio, waving his hand negligently. "He disappeared after the Bakumatsu. He's sure to be dead by now."

With a swirl of creamy material, the merchant's cloak was cast on the ground, and the redhead turned and leaped off the veranda, landing in a fighting crouch halfway across the courtyard. Slowly, he straightened to a formless stance, feet akimbo, hands at his sides.

"No way, Shishio?" he repeated, and his right foot slid forward. His weight balanced, he leaned forwards slightly, and his right hand moved to hover over his swordhilt.

Shishio gasped in shock. This was the stance of Battoujutsu!

_But no-one's been a master of Battoujutsu since the Battousai…_

The smirk deepened, and the amber eyes stared up at Shishio, challenging and amused.

Shishio began adding together the facts before him. _Red hair, yellow eyes, cross-shaped scar… They could be faked… But the stance of Battoujutsu, that can't be imitated!_

_This is surely Battousai!_

Shishio's laugh rang out, exultantly, over the courtyard, and the hushed Kokuryukai, more of whom were arriving every minute.

"At _LAST_!" His yell was triumphant. "Finally, I get to face my predecessor! I have always longed for a match against the Battousai, and now my wish is granted!"

"Battousai!" "Battousai?!" "_Predecessor_?" "The legendary Hitokiri?" Whispers buzzed through the crowd. All the watchers took a step backwards, not wanting to get in the way of a match between the Leader and the legend.

"Very well, Battousai! I shall match my predecessor, and beat him!" Shishio strolled along the veranda. He was met at the head of the stairs by Yumi, who had meanwhile re-dressed herself. She handed him his sword, and a passionate kiss passed between the two, to the whistles of the Kokuryukai. Then Shishio walked slowly down the stairs, stopping when he was opposite the man he had called his predecessor.

He did not notice that his opponent's eyes were joyful.

_We distracted them well, Battousai!_

_**Indeed we did, Rurouni… but beware. This may be a harder fight than we are used to…**_

---

Sano stood, helpless, as Kenshin confronted Shishio. His friend's phrases rang in his ears, as much as Shishio's laughter grated. A chill, a foreboding chill, swept over him.

_This is going to be a fight to end all fights…_

The stance of Battoujutsu, Sano had seen before. The redhead's graceful movements he was used to as well. But the way Kenshin was poised now had a different sense to it. There was an edge, a sharpness and a deadliness that he had never seen before in Kenshin's bearing.

_It's a killing intent, a warrior's spirit,_ Sano realised. _Kenshin is Hitokiri Battousai, not Kenshin the Rurouni._

_No, wait –_

The tilt of Kenshin's head was familiar, the lifting of the chin that Sano had seen a hundred times, every time the two of them sparred together. It didn't have the same edge that the tense shoulders and torso held.

_It's both of them… the Hitokiri and the Rurouni! They're sharing the body – they're working together!_

Sano stared at his friend, studying the poise of the Battoujutsu stance. In it he could see the gentler elements of the Kenshin he knew and the bladelike edges of the Battousai.

_Perhaps by combining their strengths they'll defeat Shishio… after all, he's Kenshin's successor, and he'll be hard to beat…_

---

Kaoru sprinted across the lawn with all the speed she could manage, barely avoiding tripping over roots of the ornamental sakura trees. As she neared the Kokuryukai House, she slowed, and became more cautious in her movements. She didn't want to get caught so early in the plan.

A flash of a yellow and green caught her eye. Yahiko was standing on the lamp-lit veranda, holding Tsubame's hand. As Kaoru watched, they walked along the veranda, listening and occasionally opening shoji doors, quite obviously looking for something.

_Of course… Kenshin said that they were looking for the geishas! I can get them to lead the next group of geishas out! It's perfect!_

Kaoru stepped out of the shadow of the trees, and was about to call out to her brother. Then he slipped a shoji partly open, obviously without checking for sounds inside, and after a second, a group of three Kokuryukai burst out onto the veranda.

_Oh no! How are they going to get out of this…?_

---

As they made their way along the veranda, Yahiko checked the rooms, and Tsubame followed, perfectly happy to hold Yahiko's hand.

Yahiko slid open yet another door. Tsubame was snapped out of her happy daze as his grip on her hand suddenly tightened.

She whispered to him, "Yahiko, what –"

Her unasked question was answered as three men, with the Kokuryukai's black headband, spilled out of the door. They stepped threateningly up to Yahiko.

"Look, brat, I dunno what you're thinking, but get lost!" The leader, a tall man in green gi and hakama, spat at the young man.

"Lookie, lookie, there's a little girl here." The second Kokuryukai, a plump man, stepped forwards, and pinched Tsubame's cheek. She shied away, and slipped closer to Yahiko.

The tall man looked the meiko up and down, noting how her hand clung to Yahiko's, and where her free hand was clutched to her chest. What he didn't know was that concealed within her kimono were two razor-sharp knives, and she was reaching for one of them.

A smirk came over the tall man's face. "Looking for a place to have a little fun, brat?"

The third Kokuryukai didn't even allow time for Yahiko to answer. "She's a pretty little piece. If I were this kid, I'd get her into bed as soon as possible," he leered. "But then, maybe _I_ could teach her better than any kid can…"

"Never!" Yahiko clutched Tsubame's hand tighter, and stepped half in front of her, defending.

"Heh. Looking for a fight, boy?" The leader of the three mocked. "Look, give her a good kiss, and I might believe that she's yours."

Tsubame gasped at this pronouncement, and Yahiko went red – not with embarrassment, but with anger. He glared at the three Kokuryukai, who snickered snidely, obviously believing that the young couple would be too bashful to display something so embarrassing in public.

The fat man sneered, "Aw, too _hard_ for you, brat?"

"Bastards!" Yahiko snarled, and, turning to the girl behind him, caught her with one hand around her waist, and the other behind her head. Then he leaned forward, and caught her lips in a hard, angry kiss.

Tsubame had had no time to react, and her hands, put up to protest, ended up on Yahiko's chest. As the kiss lasted, they crept up to circle his shoulders, and she melted against him, her body moving pliantly.

Yahiko felt Tsubame's body close against his, moulding against him. Rapidly losing sense of anything but her, Yahiko pulled her closer, enjoying the sweetness of her lips and the silky hair coiling around his hand. Her breasts were soft, but the hardness of the knives between them abruptly recalled him from the world where there were only two people, and he broke away with a gasp like a drowning man.

Tsubame felt the warmth of Yahiko's lips leave hers, but his arms were still around her, so she opened her eyes slowly, and looked up into Yahiko's face. There was shock and wonder written there. Unknowing of how to react, Tsubame simply smiled, allowing her happiness to show. His returning smile was rather tentative, but when he saw that she was smiling in honest joy, it deepened to a grin.

A wolf-whistle from one of the three Kokuryukai broke into their contemplation of each other, and they let go, and stepped away, blushing. Yahiko turned back to the Kokuryukai, a questioning look on his face.

"Well, brat, she's certainly yours, but she won't be for long." The tall Kokuryukai pulled a hiltless katana from the waistband of his hakama, and drew it, dropping the sheath and stepping into a fighting stance.

"Get back, Tsubame!" Yahiko snapped, drawing his katana in response. The young woman stepped back, out of range, and pulled the two knives out of her kimono, waiting for the time when it would be necessary to use them.

---

Shishio stood on the cold stone of the courtyard, opposing the redheaded man he now knew was the Hitokiri Battousai. A tingling anticipation shot through his veins as he moved smoothly to his favourite attack position: the legs braced, right foot in front of left, and katana extended outwards and down, pointing to the ground halfway between the two combatants.

_I don't know how the Battousai will attack, so this is the best position: able for both attack and defense._

Kenshin, his hand rock-steady as he waited for his opponent's move, studied the position. _Sword ready for either attack or defense…_ Rurouni pondered.

**_Note the twist of his wrist, _**Battousai added.**_ He'll bring it up in a slash if we try a defensive move, but he only has to lift his arm to block._**

The moment stretched, daring the audience to make a sudden move, to disrupt the concentration.

Suddenly a breeze swept the courtyard, shaking one of the sakura trees that flanked the front gate. A shower of blossoms floated along the air, between the two.

_GO! / **GO!**_ The two voices were simultaneous.

Suddenly, the red-and-magenta figure blurred.

Kenshin was no longer where he had been.

---

Kaoru had slid to a shocked stop as she watched the kiss between her brother and the young meiko with something between dismay and amusement.

Her practical side sighed resignedly. _If those two fall in love, we're going to have a _lot_ of trouble… He'll be forever sneaking out of the kitchen to see her…_

But her heart was happy, knowing that her brother had found someone. She'd known that Tsubame liked Yahiko, and from his reaction during the kiss – she had been close enough to see their faces afterwards – he was definitely interested in her as well.

When the Kokuryukai drew his sword, Kaoru instantly realised that there was going to be a fight.

A quick yank on the strings that held the skirts of her kimono together, and her legs were free. She pulled the kodachi out of her kimono, and began running across the lawn to help Yahiko and Tsubame.

Kaoru's luck had run out, and as she raced to the aid of her brother, the treacherous ground finally showed its colours. A dip in the grass stopped her foot for just long enough for her precarious balance to slip, and she tripped, falling headlong towards the wet greenery.

Instinctively, Kaoru flung her right hand – the hand holding the kodachi – out as far as it could go.

_I mustn't land on the koda-_

A tree root came out of nowhere, and the young kendo teacher's head struck it before she could do anything.

A tidal wave of colours and light burst into her vision, and the ringing in her ears eclipsed all sound. A brief vision slid before her eyes – Kenshin, in a sword-drawing stance, facing Shishio across the main house courtyard – but then it slid away, along with the firework display.

Kaoru levered herself to a seated position, paused to regain her equilibrium, shook her head, and lurched to her feet, supporting herself with the nearest treetrunk and the kodachi. Her steps dragged initially, but as she regained her full senses, her feet moved faster, until she was once again at a full-out run.

_Yahiko, I've got to help Yahiko! He's in trouble… Yahiko!_

---

A magenta blur slipped through the hail of sakura, and Kenshin was on the bandaged man almost before he knew it.

The sakabato snapped from its sheath, and, as Kenshin sped past Shishio, it whipped in a silvery arc, and struck hard against Shishio's upper arm –

– or would have. Battousai had been right when he said that Shishio only had to lift his arm to block. The sakabato and katana met with a ringing clash.

The redhead swept past the taller man, and landed with a light thump. Swinging around, he met Shishio's counterattack, a basic downwards swing.

_Use our lightness, our speed, that's it!_ Rurouni sounded overjoyed.

A quick leap from the redhead moved him out of the range of Shishio's long katana.

_**Don't speak too soon, Rurouni…**_

The bandaged man took another step forwards, and a scrape announced that the point of Shishio's katana was moving across the paving, slow at first, but faster and faster, until –

Kenshin stopped dead in horror and amazement.

The lower third of Shishio's blade was, quite literally, on fire.

**_I've seen this before._** Battousai's voice was grim. **_It's from the human oils of his victims… they soak into a blade, like blood does…_** Both of the redhead's personalities immediately pictured the crimson sheen that had been on their old blade. **_And they can be set alight, giving a flaming sword._**

Shishio moved fast, and the distracted Kenshin wasn't fast enough.

Shishio's arm moved almost lazily, and the point of the flaming katana flicked across Kenshin's chest.

A slap, as the redhead landed.

There was a long, horizontal slit in Kenshin's gi. It wept red, and the flesh around it matched the colour.

_Fire?!_

_**Fire, Rurouni. He has learnt the control of fire.**_

_We're in deep shit, Battousai._

**_Yes, that we are._**

* * *

**Author's Notes: **The YxT wasn't supposed to be there – he was only supposed to fight them, not kiss her… I guess I just like romance too much… Do you readers think it should be there? If you don't, review and tell me. If enough people say that they don't like it, I'll edit it out, or tone it down. 

I wonder if anyone noticed the implication of that last little bit? Start guessing… prizes for the closest guess! …well… not really… but, it's the thought that counts! And I'm hoping it gets some more of you to review… /'pretty-pretty-please' grin/

Review! Please! Onegai!

**Review Replies: **Thanks to all my reviewers.

half-breed-demon-fox - /grin/ Of course it's evil... Good cliffhangers are indispensable to me...

Zhuyou - Thanks, I will write more! (I can't just leave this hanging. I would be killed by the reviewers...)

lyn - I will. You should too - in your reviews, I mean...

jkdsjhdhjfdshk - Like I said to Zhuyou, I can't just leave it... Of course I'm writing more!

RangerDo'Urden - Don't worry about not reviewing! I just love getting reviews, but I know that you read TRA, and love it! That's enough for me.

thechickenlittle2000 - Yep, that was definately a 'poor Kenshin' moment. I think I'm too cruel to him sometimes... The characterisation was one of the things I was really worried about. Thanks for reassuring me!

HiEi JaGaNsHis FlAmE - You can't wait for this fight? I'm writing it right now... it's hard work, but it'll be worth it in the end!

kenshinlover2002 - Yes, that was _very_ evil of Battousai, but... well... I really didn't want to have to describe a ShishioxYumi scene... That would be... /shudders/ ...yucky.

Lydia-Blessing - Kaoru crying a lot _really_ annoys me. She's a very strong woman, not some crybaby. She's the sort of person who actually _does_ something, rather than go hysterical about it. That's one of that things I like best about her, and the reason I like her so much as a character.


	11. Revealing Battles

**To Reveal All**

**Chapter 11: Revealing Battles**

**By steelphoenix**

* * *

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Rurouni Kenshin, or any of its characters. 

**Author's Notes:** This chapter rates as the hardest to write yet… If the fight scenes seem a little bland, it's because I was trying to write them so they're not too similar to the anime. I keep putting together bits of other fights for Kenshin, but there's only one fight I can go on for Shishio, which is rather… limited.

On a side note, the scenes in this and the last chapter with Kaoru / Yahiko / Tsubame were going to be Chapter 10, and the fight scenes were going to be Chapter 11. Unfortunately, that screws with the timing, so it was better to do it this way.

Big gomen nasai for the lateness of this update. My family went away, and I went with them. We were camping, and there's no Internet access in the middle of the bush… I'm REALLY sorry about dropping you in the middle of a good bit /ducks rotten vegetables/ but there's no way I could, or would want to, miss going away with my family.

**Language Notes: **Homuradama (Fireball) and Guren-Kaina (Scarlet Lotus Arm) are best seen in the anime.

**Warnings:**PG-13 for violence and sexual situations/scenes. No language warnings.

* * *

A drip of red hit the ground, and Kenshin stared down at it for a moment, horrified. The wound in his chest was shallow, but the surrounding skin was crimson from the heat of the blade that had cut him. 

_How can he use fire like that? It's insane…_

**_Shishio _is_ insane, Rurouni._** Battousai's voice was grim and emphatic.**_ Remember that. And remember that because of that, he will go to any lengths to kill us._**

_Including using fire…_ Rurouni's tone was turning grim, beginning to match his counterpart's. _But we have to do this. We _must_ keep them away until Kaoru-dono, and the rest of the geishas, are safe._

_**Yes. That is what we set out to do, and we must accomplish it.**_

Kenshin's head lifted, and the amber of them swirled briefly with amethyst, determination and resolution filling them. The sakabato was returned to its sheath, and the sheath was slid back into the hakama.

"Back to Battoujutsu, Battousai?" sneered Shishio. He was now far out of range, on the other side of the courtyard, by the steps. "Do you only have one trick? I know how I can block Battoujutsu, and I have the attack you just experienced, the incredible Homuradama!"

"Really?" Kenshin didn't grin, but one eyebrow cocked, quizzically.

_That wasn't Battoujutsu,_ interjected Rurouni. _You drew the sword _before_ you struck._

**_Yes, but he doesn't know that. I want him to attack, _then_ we use Battoujutsu._**

_I wonder what his other fire tricks are?_

_**No doubt we'll find what they are in a short time, Rurouni… we'll be receiving them…**_

---

"Here I come!" The Kokuryukai yelled, lunging forwards, katana swinging in a downwards arc.

Yahiko lifted his katana, to block the stroke. The two katanas met with a clash, and the Kokuryukai pulled his blade back, so it slipped off Yahiko's block. Then he stabbed inwards again, aiming for Yahiko's face.

The young warrior had anticipated his move, and had slipped to his left, out of the way, long before the katana reached its target. He aimed a cut at the man's shoulder. It was blocked, and the clashing of blades was quick and deadly, no holds barred.

Yahiko had a cut to his left arm, and the Kokuryukai was sporting several slashes to the chest, when the Kokuryukai made his move.

A downwards slash, not unlike the one that began the fight, was pulled back, so that it missed Yahiko's block entirely. Then, another stab upwards, aimed at the heart.

Yahiko moved fast, but not fast enough. A long rip was left in his gi, accompanied by a nick to his left side, just under the arm. Yahiko's counter ended the fight, and the Kokuryukai's life: an instinctive slashing lunge at the man's unprotected neck.

Blood spurted quickly, and with a gurgle, the dead weight of the Kokuryukai slumped to the veranda.

---

_Hah! I blocked the famous Battoujutsu!_ Shishio exulted, the manic grin on his face. _I know what I can do! Pretend to attack, then, when he uses Battoujutsu, he'll be wide open!_

Kenshin's hand didn't waver as he watched the changing expressions on Shishio's face. It was obvious that he was plotting something, no doubt something to try and trap Kenshin into using Battoujutsu too early, and use the opening from the Battoujutsu to strike.

**_It's so obvious,_** stated Battousai. **_The only problem is his fire attacks. We don't know them…_**

_But surely we can avoid them until we can analyse them, Battousai!_

Then, with a swift lunge, Shishio was moving.

He sprung towards the redhead, and his feet barely touched the cobbles as he raced towards his predecessor.

_Just a little closer, and I'll stop…_ Shishio thought as his feet ate up the distance.

_And… STOP!_ Shishio's feet halted, and with a slew of dust, he slid to a halt, a mere four feet away from Kenshin.

**_Still too close._**

The image of Kenshin again blurred. The sakabato flashed out of the sheath, in a simple Battoujutsu.

_I can see it! I can see the path… NOW!_

Shishio's sword leapt out of its sheath, and the bandaged man leapt at the same time. The sakabato, which was to impact on Shishio's left hip, slid harmlessly past, missing by a finger's width.

_CLANG!_ The two swords impacted, and Shishio was sent skidding away, his katana sent spinning out of his grip.

_**Perfect. He did exactly what you expected. Well done, Rurouni.**_

There was a mass gasp from the watching Kokuryukai. No-one had _ever_ made Shishio lose his grip on his katana!

_Oh no! Shishio!_ Yumi's face was whiter than her lord's bandages.

"Hehe. Well done, Kenshin," Sano grinned. He knew that his friend could fight better than he had been doing. Even when fighting strange techniques – like Shishio's – Kenshin had never been bested.

Briefly stunned by the loss of his sword, Shishio stared down at his hand. The stinging pain assured him that he wasn't dreaming – that Battousai had really flicked the katana away.

_Then what I deflected before – that wasn't Battoujutsu! It wasn't as weak as I thought! I need my sword!_

"AAAAAH!" The bandaged man leapt for the fallen katana.

Kenshin's godlike speed allowed him to reach it first. Shishio's hand reached for the sword, but the sakabato intercepted his arm, slapping it away. He collapsed on his knees, pain coursing through his right side. The combination of Kenshin's disarming and the sakabato's slap to his arm was a throbbing wound to both his pride and his control.

Diving again, this time he managed to get his hand on the hilt, before the sakabato was at his neck – blade-side inwards, touching his jugular.

"Take your hand off the katana, Shishio. Unless you wish your followers –" Kenshin briefly looked up at the circle of scared faces "– to see the death of their Leader."

Shishio heard the sound of Kenshin's voice change as he looked up, and took his chance. His hand fastened around the hilt, and he rolled out of the way just as the blade swished through where his neck had been.

On his feet, he edged away, keeping distance between himself and Battousai. _He's just as prepared to kill as I am… That sakabato is deceptive…! _

_Dammit! Battousai, _WHY_ in Kami-sama's name did you look up then?! You _knew_ he'd escape!_

**_Don't panic, Rurouni._** Battousai's voice was amused. **_I simply like to play with my food first…_**

_Well, your 'playing' could get us killed!_

_**All the more fun…**_

---

On the back veranda, Yahiko was not the only one fighting. As the leader of the three Kokuryukai lunged and cut at Yahiko, the fat man was intent on them, watching for a break in Yahiko's guard.

He snickered, and stepped into the room that the three had originally been in, edging around the fight.

_He's going to stab Yahiko, and kill him! I can't let that happen!_

Tsubame gripped the twin daggers, and went to meet him, skittering across the room's tatami, until she was in the centre. There she stopped, watching the man's approach. He was fat, and, according to what Kaoru had taught her, this would make him slower than her. Perhaps she had an advantage here.

Then the Kokuryukai reached into a satchel on his back, and pulled out four daggers, nearly identical to the ones she carried. He grinned evilly. The meiko was a juicy target, young, attractive, and not a fighter. He lifted his daggers, and flicked them expertly into position – two in each hand, one pointed upwards, the other down.

_But Kaoru said that you should only carry one dagger in each hand… perhaps, by doing this, he can use them in both directions… Yes, that must be it!_

The fat man lumbered forwards, and, as he made his first lunge, Tsubame dodged, and watched his movement, as Kaoru had told her to do.

_He's quite slow, so I might be able to hit him…_

Two slashes came down towards her head, she ducked, and, with the slightest hesitation, lifted her right dagger, and slashed at his wrist. It missed, but not by much.

"So, girlie, playing hard-to-get?" The man snapped, and lunged again, no longer grinning.

Tsubame blocked, and, as she stepped back, he lunged again, and a wound appeared on her chest, just above her obi.

"Aaaahh!" With the impact of the blade, all the air went out of her lungs, and she stumbled backwards. The fat man followed her, and she barely ducked as his blade shot past her ear. She thrust upwards, but missed, again.

The fat man had regained his leering grin. As she raggedly resumed her stance, he was moving again, and he circled. She followed, but he had already struck. Now Tsubame began to see what Kaoru had meant when she said that it was possible to see when you were outmatched. There was no way the meiko could land a blow on the Kokuryukai, and he had laid several light, slashing wounds into her.

_He's taunting me,_ Tsubame realised. Her left arm hung limp, blood dripping slowly from a slash wound near her shoulder. She was barely managing to hold on to the dagger in that hand.

Suddenly, the clashing of blades behind them stopped, and, with a bloody bubbling, the leader of the three collapsed to the planking of the veranda.

The fat man paused, staring at his collapsed leader.

He was too late in turning back.

Tsubame's wild lunge miraculously found its mark in the man's chest.

---

Shishio eyed his predecessor from his position across the courtyard. The redhead was simply standing there, sakabato unsheathed and resting lightly on the ground. _He's waiting. He wants me to make the first move._

Then he noticed the smirk on Kenshin's face. All strategy went out of his mind instantly. _What? He's just standing there, _laughing_ at me?!_

No-one_ laughs at me… ever…_

With a loud yell, he lunged forwards. The redhead leapt easily, evading the infuriated attack, and landed behind the taller man. Shishio spun, and lunged for Kenshin, who was just landing. Godlike speed was put to good use, and Kenshin countered, then struck in response.

The clashes and chimes of sword on sword, katana on sakabato, rang through the courtyard, a deadly and enchanting music. The Kokuryukai, Yumi and Sano watched as people enthralled, though at the back of the Kokuryukai, some of the less brave gang members were sneaking away, discarding the black headbands as they snuck out the gate or over the wall.

---

The third Kokuryukai was watching Yahiko fight, watching for the opportunity to slip a knife between his ribs. Then his leader made his final attack, Yahiko fended it off, and the Kokuryukai fell.

The shock of the man falling shook his confidence as much as it shook the veranda. A boy had taken out a man who was known in the Kokuryukai as a swordfighter…

_Perhaps I can take the boy out…_

"Damn you!" He dove forwards, his knife extended, aiming for the back of the too-slowly-turning Yahiko.

He never got there.

A kodachi slammed out of nowhere, its tip hitting the dagger out of his hand, and he couldn't stop his momentum as he fell forwards. The kodachi's wielder automatically began lifting the sword upwards after it hit.

The kodachi slid cleanly through his neck.

---

Shishio stared across at the man standing opposite him. His predecessor was the fastest fighter he'd ever crossed blades with. Add to that his almost uncanny ability to predict what Shishio's next move was, and there was no other way of viewing it – Shishio was in trouble.

_There's only one thing I can do – wound him severely, so he can't use that godlike speed, and then finish him!_

Shishio's sudden movement to his original stance – right foot in front of left, katana extended outwards and down – took Kenshin a little by surprise. There was no way that Shishio was going to try the same moves that he initially did, was there?

_No, there's a slight variation in the stance, Battousai. Look at the feet._

**_Ah. I see._** The warrior spirit's voice was lighter as he noted Shishio's stance. His legs were further apart than they had been previously, and the right knee was bent. **_It's a more aggressive stance. He's going to –_**

Shishio moved in an instant.

The katana extended outwards became a dive straight for Kenshin's heart. Kenshin slid out of the way of the crazed attack, to his right.

He played right into Shishio's hands.

With a triumphant shout, Shishio grabbed at him.

Godlike speed was no friend to momentum, and the bandaged man had plenty of momentum. His hand wrapped around the collar of Kenshin's gi, and he hoisted the redhead into the air.

The magenta gi was no friend to its wearer. Slipping up, it crossed over Kenshin's windpipe, and began strangling him. As he fought for breath, kicking out at Shishio, he dropped the sakabato.

"Hahahahaaaa!" Shishio grated at Kenshin. "So, the Battousai is just as vulnerable as the rest of us to tricks!" His face was a twisted grin as he lifted his katana until it was resting on his glove.

"Not… trick… no honour… can't tell…" Kenshin choked out, around the gi's obstruction.

"I can tell you, Himura Battousai, that you'll be dead soon!"

The scrape of the katana announced that there was a metal gauntlet beneath the leather gloves that the Kokuryukai Leader was wearing. Kenshin had the briefest of moments to notice that there was a foul smell emitted, then –

_**KA-WOOOOOMPH!!!!!**_

Shishio, braced ready for the impact, was skidded back, but Kenshin, hanging from Shishio's arm, had nothing to gain any purchase on, and he was flung across the courtyard to land by the veranda.

Sano stared down at the limp form of his friend. "Kenshin, buddy, you better be okay…"

* * *

**Author's Notes: **Rather a short chapter this time around, guys. Please don't hurt me… and I was so late too… /sobs/ 

I really need to know what you thought of the fight scenes! I have a love/hate relationship with fight scenes, so if you want more, I'll be happy to write more into them, and in the next chapter (at least until I get stuck).

Review! Please! Onegai!

**Review Replies: **Thanks to all my reviewers.

half-breed-demon-fox - KxK will probably meet next chapter... Hold your breath, it'll be good.

Peachie-Chan - No probs with not reviewing... I know you're reading it, and liking it, and that's good enough for me.

Sosoru - Yeah, the cuteness of YxT in the anime is a little excessive, but I thought a little cuteness wouldn't go amiss here, with all the seriousness and fighting. As well, I was trying to follow (more or less) canon pairings, so those two had to have something happening.

RangerDo'Urden - /sarcasm/ Chem and Trig homework are such _fun_, aren't they? I'm glad I could help you cheer up - except for the cliffie, that's not so great, is it? Anyway, here's the update!

HiEi JaGaNsHis FlAmE - I've been wanting to ask this - why do you alternate the caps and lowercase? It's _really_ hard to type... Anyway, action/romance? Yep, greatest genre there is. This chapter had a lot more of the action aspect, though! Hope you enjoyed it.

Lydia-Blessing - The KxK was getting a bit angsty, so I decided to put in a little YxT for cuteness' sake...

blue-katana-girl - I tried to make that scene cute - apparently it worked!

thechickenlittle2000 - Yes, I thought that it was about time! Those two are so shy (but better than KxK, you must admit), so I thought they deserved a little kiss of their own.

kenshinlover2002 - I'm not sure how to remove Shishio from the picture, but I'll take the suggestion into account.

The Silly Koneko 2 - I know, I know, I know. I've been very slack at getting around to changing those chapters - I have rewritten them, with historical accuracy this time.

lyn - So should you. /grin/

blue faery - Sweet? Awww! I thought so too!

someone spcial - Done! (Love the puppydog eyes, BTW)

Zhuyou - Never mind... I sometimes forget to read them too! Do you have Author Alerts? They're very useful - helps you to remember to read your favourite fics!


	12. Revealing Reaction

**To Reveal All**

**Chapter 12: Revealing Reaction**

**By steelphoenix**

* * *

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Rurouni Kenshin, or any of its characters. 

**Author's Notes:** As the title says, this chapter is the reactions of people to what's happened. There's not much action, but there will be more soon!

Just a warning about this chapter: more meringue. But this time it's combined with a little humour, so I hope it won't be too sickly sweet.

BTW, how did you like the last update (with the first chapters rewritten)? I really liked the way they turned out – much better than I expected. But I'm really annoyed at how I didn't do enough research on them in the first place… /growls at self and Muse/ Anyway, enjoy, and don't forget… REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW! (Please).

Sessha is very, VERY sorry about the update, for anyone who went back and read. Sessha substituted Chapter 11 for Chapter 1 by accident. And thus, people were very confused. Sessha has changed it. /deep bows/

**Language Notes:** TheOnin Struggle wasa war occurring around/near Kyoto from 1467 to 1477. This ushered in the Sengoku (Warring States) Era, which lasted until around 1615.

Glomp: I am assuming you know this means an extremely enthusiastic hug. Read Glomping 101 by Shimegami-chan for the full explanation (It's hilarious, trust me!).

**Warnings:**PG-13 for violence and sexual situations/scenes. No language warnings.

* * *

Kenshin slid to a stop, his gi scraping across the stones, gaining new rips and tears to the many already there. 

Flat on his back, Kenshin stared up at the dark sky, seeing some stars – both nature's and his own – despite the brightly-lit courtyard. Dazed, he lifted his hand to touch his shoulder, but then he thought the better of it. It was bad enough without touching – stinging, burning pain. The gash across his chest was throbbing, and now the hole in his shoulder beat in unison.

_Okay… that makes two fire attacks,_ Rurouni grimaced.

_**That HURT! Rurouni, come and take your share of the pain!**_

_I am, Battousai! I'm feeling exactly what you are!_

**_You're _what** Battousai's voice was flabbergasted. **_How do you know that?! And how can we be feeling exactly the same thing?! That hasn't happened since…_** Battousai jerked to a stop, realising exactly when this had last happened.

_Since we were one being, one spirit…_ Rurouni finished off the sentence._The last time this happened was before _that_ incident at _that_ shrine…_

Then, the darkness swelled, and both spirits fell into its velvet embrace.

---

Kaoru gazed in shock as the Kokuryukai's head thudded to the planking. Blood spurted raggedly from the stump left, staining the dragon-scales on her kimono a deeper, duller red.

"Oh… oh, Kami-sama … Oh, Kami-sama, he's dead!" Her breath came in sobbing whispers, and tears started in her wide eyes as she stared at the corpse in front of her.

Yahiko stared at his sister, still trying to figure out where she came from, and what she was doing here.

"And I did it…!" Her terrified whisper swept across the now-silenced veranda.

_I violated the prime principle of the Kamiya Kasshin Style – of katsujin-ken itself – to never kill! I've lost my honour as Master of the Style! But I did it to save Yahiko…_

_Yahiko's more precious than being Master of the Style…_

_No, if I had to do it again, I would!_ Kaoru's resolve hardened, and her grip on the kodachi, formerly loose, tightened.

"Yahiko… Tsubame… are you alright?" Her voice, though shaky, was recovering. She turned, looking at her brother.

"Yes… I'm… I'm… okay." Yahiko's reply was hesitant, but his eyes had fallen down to the headless body of the Kokuryukai. Kaoru had killed him… Then, slowly, he turned, and his gaze fell on the man he had slain.

_I've broken Kamiya Kasshin's rule… I've broken the first thing I was taught…_

_Could I have avoided it?_

_Yes, I could have… but they would've taken Tsubame. She'd be abused, raped… No, I couldn't let that happen. Never. She's worth killing for…_

_WHAT?! Worth KILLING for?!_

…_Maybe…_

…_Maybe she is…_

_But, I've killed. I never… I never want to do that again…_

"Tsubame?" Kaoru's voice broke into his thoughts, and his gaze snapped up, searching for the meiko. It swept the room, until it found the young woman, kneeling on the floor.

He stepped towards her, reaching out, and the katana swung into view. He paused, staring at the blood on the blade. Then, with a movement as though to rid himself of demons as well as the blade of blood, he flicked it, and re-sheathed it, letting go of the hilt as fast as possible.

By the time he'd reached Tsubame's side, Kaoru was already knelt there, shaking the young meiko. There was no response, and she was staring at the bloodied hilt of her knife that protruded from the fat man's chest.

_He's dead… he's dead…_

_He was there one moment, moving, breathing, and now he's still… He's dead!_

_My hand's bloodied… I'm guilty of murder!_

_I'm a murderer!_

"Tsubame! Tsubame!" Yahiko's voice slipped through her trance, and her head slowly turned towards him. His face was anxious, and she could see a shadow of what she felt in his eyes.

"I'm… I'm a murderer, Yahiko!" Her voice was dark with unshed tears, and her gaze pleaded with him.

"It wasn't your fault…" he whispered, and with a grateful sob, she dove into his arms.

Wetly, through her tears, she sniffed, "I feel… so… guilty…"

"I… I know… but it wasn't your fault… he was trying to kill you! You couldn't help it!" Yahiko clung to the words as hard as he clung to Tsubame, desperately wanting to believe them.

Kaoru knelt beside the two, waiting. She knew that they would soon have to be going, to help the rest of the geishas, to get to Kenshin, but she could allow a little time, for the two to recover from the killing.

---

_Knock-knock_. Misao looked up, wondering who could be visiting at this time of the afternoon. "Come in!" she called, bouncing up from her seat, where she was studying a book of weapons she had borrowed.

The shoji slid open, allowing in the last person she expected.

A shining smile appeared on her cute face, and she bounced over to her commander, and the man she loved. "Aoshi-sama! How are you? Why are you here? You know, I was just thinking about you –"

"Misao, I need you to pack a bag."

"_What?!_ Why?!"

"Because, Misao, we are going away from here."

For once, the enthusiastic little ninja couldn't think of anything to say. A few seconds passed, as she digested what he had said, and checked several times that she had heard it right. Aoshi noted her silence, and smiled quietly.

Misao looked up at him, and saw the smile. Absently, she remarked, "Aoshi-sama, you look so much better when you smile."

Then the strange remark sunk into her brain, snapped her out of her trance. "Aoshi-sama, did you just say what I think you said? Why are we going away? And why 'we'? Why not just me, or just you, if it's a mission, and –"

Aoshi interrupted, as he was used to doing when Misao got started. "Just pack, Misao. Take the essentials, and any treasures you have, because we are not coming back."

"Really?" She asked, disbelieving. "And this is you and me that are going?"

The smile deepened to a grin. "Yes, Misao. We are going. Soon. Hurry."

Ten minutes later, the ninja girl had a bag on the ground in front of her, stuffed with items. Clothes were mixed with kunai, a wooden doll was wrapped in a kimono, and a lone scroll, the only one she owned, was perched precariously on the top. The second-story room also looked like a tropical storm had been though it.

Misao shoved the scroll down the side of the bag, hoping the ancient leather case was not going to choose now to break, and tied the top closed. Then she raised her head towards the usually icy man.

The grin had faded, but he was still, undeniably, smiling. "Aoshi-sama, you're smiling. You never smile." Misao half-questioned, half-remarked.

"A man can smile when he is happy, Misao," replied the tall man, crouching down in front of her. Misao suddenly noticed that he was close. Very close.

"But…" Misao would have finished the sentence, but Aoshi had already leaned forwards, and placed a kiss on her half-open mouth.

A long moment later, he leaned back, looking down into her face. "Misao, I –"

He also would have finished the sentence, but he was glomped before he could.

---

Sano crouched beside Kenshin, saw his chest moving up and down, and sighed in relief that the redhead was as tough as he hoped. There weren't many men that could take that sort of hit, and still survive.

Rising, he saw Shishio staring smugly at him from across the courtyard. The smirk on the man's face was insufferable – arrogant and conceited. Sano's blood began to heat. How dare Shishio grin like that after hurting his friend so badly?! But, if only Kenshin could get back up…

_If only we had time…_ There was only one way to gain time.

The young rooster-headed fighter snarled, and strode over to the veranda, where he had dropped his zanbato, as he had come to check on Kenshin. The long, cloth-wrapped weapon was quickly unwrapped, and as he lifted it, he gazed along its length lovingly.

The huge blade, as long as he was, was dented and battered. The nicks and gouges in its steel flesh showed the long, hard life it had led – from the Onin Struggle, through the Bakumatsu, to Sanosuke's life as a fighter-for-hire, and now, as a dojo assistant. There were no edges on the antique 'blade', but there was still a shimmer of blue life in its steel.

Shishio looked down at the battered relic, and snickered. "How old is that 'blade'? It looks like it's from the original Sengoku Era!"

"Not quite," replied Sano. "It's from the Onin Struggle – but it's still useful –"

With a spring from his position, he launched himself towards the bandaged man.

"– to crush you!"

---

The woodsman's gate was opened for the second time. Tae briefly hugged Kaoru, wishing her well. Tsubame waited until Tae was out the gate, before she turned to Kaoru and Yahiko.

"Kaoru… good luck… I'll see you when you bring the rest of the geishas to the dojo…" The young meiko looked up at the older woman, and impulsively stepped forwards, hugging her one-armed, avoiding using her damaged limb. Then she turned to Yahiko.

"Yahiko… you're going to fight, aren't you?" The young man's nod prompted a deep sigh, and she briefly paused, looking at her feet.

"Then… I'd like you to have this." She stepped up to him, and laid a quick kiss on his cheek. "That's for… earlier…"

Then she turned away, and was about to duck out the woodsman's gate, when she was seized, whirled around, and very thoroughly kissed.

When they broke off, Yahiko ducked his head, half-embarrassed at what he'd done, but Tsubame lifted his chin gently, and laid another quick kiss – this time on his lips.

"I'll see you later…" She slipped out of his arms, and the woodsman's gate closed behind her.

---

The bounciness of an excited, happy, in-love Misao, Aoshi had just recently discovered, was exponentially increased from the bounciness of a normal Misao. She bounded down the stairs two-at-a-time, and paused at the bottom, waiting for him to descend, which he did with considerably more dignity, her bag bumping on his back.

"Come on, Aoshi-sama!" Misao's sparkling gaze tugged at his heart, and he smiled softly down at her as he reached the bottom of the stairs. Taking his hand, Misao smiled up at him, and they walked along the halls, until they reached the main courtyard.

The heaving mass of Kokuryukai that occupied the veranda surprised Misao, but the scene in the middle of the courtyard surprised her even more. A man with a giant sword – a zanbato, Misao realised – was duelling with Shishio, and strangely, he seemed to be doing rather well. As the pair of them watched, the zanbato-wielder swept the huge weapon around his head, and then in a series of spiralling slashes, arcing the blade through at head-, chest-, and knee-heights. The first two, Shishio dodged with ease, but the knee-level strike caught him just as he was landing, and the blade nicked the Leader's leg.

"Aoshi-sama, do you know…" her question trailed off as she saw that Aoshi's face had lost the smile, and was back to its usual expressionlessness as he gazed out across the courtyard. Misao knew this for a bad sign. Hauling his face around so it faced her, she spoke directly.

"Aoshi-sama, tell me. You know what this is about. Tell me, please."

"Misao, this is…"

"Tell me, Aoshi-sama. Honestly. Please." Her pleading jade eyes twisted a knife in his chest, and he sighed.

Briefly, the Okashira explained his plans, and as he ended, Misao nodded silently, and looked out again over the courtyard.

"Then… the red-headed man on the ground there is the Hitokiri Battousai?" asked Misao. Aoshi nodded in answer.

"We can't leave them to fight alone, Aoshi-sama. Not when they're fighting on our behalf." Misao's voice was decided.

_I can't sway her. Not when she uses that tone._ Aoshi nodded. "Very well."

---

The third time the woodsman's gate was opened, the geishas slipped out, but no-one followed them.

"Kaoru? Aren't you going with them?" asked Yahiko, looking up at his sister quizzically.

"No, Yahiko, you are." Her reply was unequivocal.

He started with shock. "But… I have to fight! Kenshin wanted me to come back to the courtyard after we'd taken the geishas to the dojo…"

"That doesn't mean he wanted you to fight…" Kaoru stated. "And besides, who's better with Kamiya Kasshin – you or me?"

"You are…" he mumbled, embarrassed.

"Yahiko, go to the dojo. See Tsubame, and then maybe you can come back… Besides, I have to find Kenshin."

Yahiko heard the determination, and worry for Kenshin, in her voice. Realising that she wouldn't be swayed, he nodded.

"Then, Kaoru, take this…" his hand went to the sheathed sword at his side, and he lifted it from the waistband of his hakama. "It used to be Kenshin's. He gave it to me, but I don't think I'm worthy of it… You are, you're the Master of Kamiya Kasshin –"

"After killing?" Kaoru grinned wryly.

"Yes, even after killing. And he loves you. He'd want it you to have it, to use it…" His voice trailed off as he realised the implications of 'using' a katana.

Kaoru thought for a long minute, then she lifted the kodachi from her obi. She'd taken the sheath from inside her kimono after the battle. Handing the shorter sword to her brother, she held the sheathed katana close.

"One question… where did Kenshin get a katana?"

"It was his when he was Hitokiri Battousai," replied Yahiko, briefly. A long moment passed, then she nodded. Her brother stared at her in surprise. "You knew?"

Her only reply was a nod, no explanation, no elaboration. Silence reigned, then Yahiko moved, and hugged his sister close. She returned it wholeheartedly.

"Kaoru… please come back… I don't want to lose you, big sister…"

"I will, Yahiko," she promised. "I will."

---

Megumi had escorted the first set of geishas to the dojo, with no hassles, and nobody breaking down into hysterics, for which Megumi thanked every kami she could name, and some she couldn't.

Tae and Tsubame's group had a little more trouble. When they reached the dojo, one geisha was sobbing uncontrollably, and Tsubame confessed that (due to the fact that neither of them had been to the dojo very often), they had become lost.

_Still,_ Megumi reasoned to herself, _they'll all be fine here. I'll be more useful if I go and help Sano and Kenshin! They'll be injured, and I'm good with medicine!_

When she mooted the idea to Tae, her 'younger sister' was sceptical. "It's risky, going back. You'll be in more danger than Kaoru, and is it really worth it? You'll be better to wait here and patch them up when they return."

"No, Tae, I have to go. I'll be worse if I just wait here, worrying about Sano and Kaoru and Kenshin. And I'm good with medicine, I can help." Megumi's tone was emphatic.

"But, Megumi, you'll be in danger… very real danger. You could easily be killed, or wounded."

"I'm _going_, Tae." Megumi was taking no arguments. She walked into the dojo's storeroom, and picked up the medicine chest, Tae following her.

"Very well, then… If I can't talk you out of it…" Tae sighed, then looked up at Megumi, and her tone became practical. "At least, don't go as a geisha. That's too dangerous. Go as a kitchen woman –"

"_Me_?! A _kitchen_ woman?!"

Tae rolled her eyes at Megumi's prima-donna behaviour. "… or something else, just not as a geisha."

Megumi pulled at her obi, releasing the long silk strip. Wriggling out of it, and then shucking the outer kimono, Megumi was left in her under-kimono and nagajuban. Grabbing a spare gi off the racks on the wall, she pulled it on, and tied the belt. Pulling out the intricate pins from her hair, Megumi smoothed her long hair flat, and then wiped her face clean of the geisha mask. The entire process had taken no more than a couple of minutes.

Tae looked her up and down as she retrieved the medicine chest. "A doctor…?"

Her questioning tone earned a glare from Megumi. "I _can_ treat wounds, at the very least. I know I can do this…"

Only Tae's eyes showed her true worry for her friends, and 'sisters'. She was fighting to control herself. "Everyone's going off to fight… Please, Megumi, if you're going… then… bring them back safe. Please. Use the skills you have to get them back. And take care of yourself. I don't know what I'd do if you or Kaoru were injured – or… or… or died!"

Megumi hugged her 'younger sister'. "Don't worry, Tae. We'll be back. All of us. Soon."

* * *

**Author's Notes: **I couldn't resist making our kitsune good with medicines. She may not be the 'fox-doctor', but at least she's getting there! 

This was mostly a 'filler' chapter, but I had to write it this way, because otherwise we'd have people appearing from nowhere, etc. Sorry about leaving Kenshin hanging… I'll probably be growled at for that! /ducks in anticipation/

Review! Please! Onegai!

**Review Replies:** Thanks to all my reviewers.

**For TRA11 - **

half-breed-demon-fox – Glad you like it! Enjoy the update!

Lydia-Blessing – No, no KxK… but there was some this chapter… as well as AxM! I hope you enjoyed both!

evilteddybear – ARIGATO!!!! Your review just blew me away! Thanks especially for your notes about the fight scenes – they were really useful, and helped so much on the points where I was slipping. Meh, don't worry about the long review! I LOVED it, trust me. Enjoy the holiday!

thechickenlittle2000 – Sano's not just hanging around… as you can see in this chapter! But you know what it's like when you're watching something absolutely mesmerising – you just freeze. I pictured Sano, and the Kokuryukai, as being like this. I've got more Sano fight scenes lined up, trust me!

HiEi JaGaNsHis FlAmE – Meh, don't worry about the name, I was just curious. I love/hate writing the action sequences, but if you guys like them, that's great!

Peachie-Chan – Yep. This fic's primary genre is 'romance', after all… This is mostly a 'filler' chapter, but it has some very necessary bits.

Oriana Anderson – Not way I'm not going to!

RangerDo'Urden – Changing the scenes _is_ one of the hardest things… you want to stay with a character just a little longer, but you know it'll screw the timing if you don't go to someone else… You have to be careful. Not sure whether this update is at the right time… It's a little late… oh well.

:) – Yep. I did!

anime-lune – Yay! It is much goodness! But… can I have my own personal bishie collection? Pleeze! I mean, I have Battousai for a Muse, but I want Rurouni, and Aoshi-sama, and Sano, and Soujirou… as well as countless other bishies from other series…

bluekatanagirl – It won't let you sign in because… it's… /whispers/ a piece of crap when it comes to that. Glad you like the chapter, and the battles!

kenshinlover2002 – That's THE question… unfortunately, I can't tell you whether Kenshin's okay… that would be giving away the plot… I thought that Tsubame was too helpless in the series, so I made her a little more courageous here.

blue-katana-girl – Like a fish? Ooh, that can't be pleasant /grin/. Yes, I will update.

**For the note – **

lyn – I will, really!

Dagorwen of Ithilien – Umm… I'm a bit late here…

DarkAngelius – It shouldn't be… Sessha screwed up. Majorly. Sorry. Sessha will fix.

Vide1621 – Like sessha said to DarkAngelius – Sessha screwed up. Sorry.


	13. Revealing Sacrifice

**To Reveal All**

**Chapter 13: Revealing Sacrifice**

**By steelphoenix**

* * *

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Rurouni Kenshin, or any of its characters. 

**Author's Notes:** It has come to this one's attention that there are not enough SxM moments in this story. So this chapter has plenty. Plenty of meringue-y, waffy-ness. Enjoy, SxM fans…

The Kaoru/Rurouni/Battousai conversation (you'll know it when you see it, trust me) came about completely by chance. Yet again, my Muse takes over… I have a sneaking suspicion that Battousai's decided to become my Muse, what with all the strange plot twists and plots for fics that he comes up with…

I had so much trouble finding a title for this chapter – I wanted something a little less solemn and sombre, but couldn't think of a synonym for sacrifice. But, that said, I think Revealing Sacrifice works, especially with what happens here.

Since the 'replace chapter' thingee apparentlydoesn't show as an update, no-one knew that TRA 12 was there! This has only just occurred to me, so... here you are! A double dose of TRA! But... please note, Battousai (my Muse) is having trouble fighting off a particularly vicious writer's block, so updates are slow right now... grrr. I don't know how long it'll be until next update. Please have patience. It's quite hard writing such tense, emotional stuff constantly, and tends to wear me down... which is why the writer's block was able to attack.

**Language Notes:** The mark on the back of Sano's coat is the character 'aku', meaning 'evil', or 'bad'.

**Warnings:**PG-13 for violence and sexual situations/scenes. Minor language warning – Sano has a dirty mouth, to go with his dirty mind…

* * *

The fire-wielding Leader of the Kokuryukai was hard to fight, Sano had decided, but he was not as skilled as Kenshin. The redhead was easily the more flexible, quick, and better at predicting his opponent's movements. 

What Sano had been hoping when he jumped forwards with the zanbato was that Kenshin was only partly unconscious, and that the small man would soon wake, and defeat Shishio.

But now, Sano's delaying tactic was almost spent. He knew it from the way the long blade of the zanbato was drooping. He knew it from the runnels of sweat that oozed down his back. He knew it from the burning in his biceps as he hefted the huge weapon.

_This fight isn't going to last much longer… Dammit, Kenshin, WAKE UP!!!_

Shishio circled carefully around the spiky-haired man, watching his every move. _It's obvious he's tiring._ He could see the exhaustion in the man's face, and the shaking of his muscles as he tried to lift the zanbato above his head again.

Shishio lifted his sword slowly, into a position Kenshin would have recognised instantly – right foot in front of left, katana downwards. The exhausted Sano was only just noticing and recognising it when Shishio allowed the blade to trail across the ground, a snake of flames following.

He leapt forwards.

"Homuradama!"

---

Yahiko had at last disappeared out of the woodsman's door, and Kaoru was alone.

She stood there, in a long pause, as she watched the small, sturdy gate close, swinging almost-silently on its hinges. The breeze swirled up, and with a whisper, flung her long hair into its currents.

_Well, I have to go,_ Kaoru thought, but was nevertheless reluctant.

_I know why I'm just waiting here. I'm scared of going…_

_Going means… flinging myself into a battle that I cannot win. Going means seeing more deaths. Going could mean discovering that… dear Kami-sama, that Kenshin is wounded._

She didn't even let herself acknowledge the other half of that sentence – the part that said _'–or dead.'_

_But I have a weapon._ She gazed down at the katana clutched close in her hands. _And it was Kenshin's. His spirit is with me in this blade…_

"_Yes, Kaoru-dono, I am with you,"_ said a voice in her head. She had the briefest of visions, of Kenshin standing in front of her, smiling.

"**_We are both with you, Kaoru, and we both love you,"_** added another voice, deeper and darker, and Kaoru again saw Kenshin – but this time, Kenshin the Battousai, with the amber eyes, and his usually low-tied hair reverted to the high tail at the back of his head.

_What?! There's the Rurouni _and_ the Battousai?! They're both here… This is… scary…_

"_Courage, Kaoru-dono. Do not be afraid. We need your help, that we do."_ The light voice of the Rurouni was reassuring, but held the slightest tone of nervousness.

"**_He means we're knocked out right now, and this is the only way we can reach anyone that will do anything about it."_** The Battousai's was quite obviously cynical, and mocking the Rurouni.

The Rurouni's voice was strained, and Kaoru could have sworn that he was glaring at Battousai when he next spoke. _"Please come soon, Kaoru-dono. Sano is being beaten, and our body must be woken, so we can save him."_

"I'll come. Now," replied Kaoru, and, fitting actions to words, started off across the lawn, towards the Kokuryukai House.

**_I told you that would work._** Battousai's voice was smug.

_It did. Now let's go,_ snapped Rurouni, aggravated by his fierce counterpart's overt arrogance.

**_Tsk, tsk. Mustn't be tetchy, Rurouni,_** Battousai's voice grinned, and he followed his peaceful foil back to their body.

---

Megumi saw the crowd of Kokuryukai from the gate. Lifting the medicine chest before her, as both protection and identification, she pushed through the back of the crowd. Angry objections and yells followed her, but she ignored them.

_If I ignore them, they'll think I'm here legitimately…_ her mind tried to say, but she knew it was the combination of adrenaline, fear, and fear for her friends that was setting her heart pumping faster than before, and clouding her reason more than a little.

When she reached the edge of the crowd, she saw what they were watching: A fight.

A fight between a rooster-combed young man, and a bandaged man.

She recognised both easily. Shishio, the infamous leader of the Kokuryukai Gang was the bandaged man. And the rooster-head was Sagara Sanosuke, ex-fight-merchant, dojo assistant, and her friend.

…_Just friend…?_ Her conscience went into overdrive. _You know what he is to you! Admit it!_

_Get lost, conscience…_ Megumi snarled mentally. _I'm just here to treat any wounds he, or Kenshin, may have received…_

_Still, I can help encourage him…_

"Sano! You can win, rooster-head!" she yelled out, completely forgetting her guise as a doctor in her concentration on Sano, her 'cautious fox' personality discarded temporarily, in favour of the 'mischievous fox' persona.

---

Sano saw the trail of fire behind Shishio's blade, and finally realised, _He's going to use that Homura-…thing._

The zanbato stopped its attempted ascent, and prepared to fall on the opponent.

"Homuradama!" Shishio began coming towards him, and the yells of the Kokuryukai increased.

Then, the roar of the watchers was pierced a light shout, in a voice he would recognise anywhere. "Sano! You can win, rooster-head!"

His head snapped around, and he found her, just off Shishio's right shoulder. Long hair loose, formal kimono discarded, and carrying a medicine chest, she looked entirely different from the poised geisha Sano knew, but with the breeze flickering the tips of her black mane, she was beautiful.

All this went through Sano's head in a second. Then reality intruded, in the form of Shishio's attack. The zanbato dropped, attempting to shatter Shishio's katana, but its owner's attention was not fully on it, and it missed.

The Homuradama carved through the air, and landed, stinging and boiling, on Sano's left leg. A long, shallow wound, already cauterised by the heat of Shishio's blade, ran from the top of his knee to his hip.

Then, with a single effortless movement, Shishio turned back to the young fighter – who he had passed in his attack – and another, deeper score was laid next to the first.

Sano had immediately discovered that when cut by a sword that was a cross between a katana and a hot poker, his thigh would not respond. His right leg tightened, desperately trying to hold Sano's lean body on its own. Temporarily, it held up, but within a few seconds, his balance became precarious.

_No! I mustn't fall…!_ screamed through Sano's mind. _If I fall, I'm dead!_

Despite all willpower in his body being focussed on the one point of standing, the thigh gave in, and he collapsed on the ground, hand still on the zanbato, refusing to give that up for anything, or anyone.

---

Misao watched in horror as the rooster-headed fighter fell to the ground, his face twisted in pain and shock. From the look on Shishio's face, she could tell what would happen next.

Shishio was known for his merciless torture and execution of insurgents within the Kokuryukai, and the secret – and not-so-secret – executions of outside opposition.

"Come on, Aoshi-sama! We have to help!" She pulled at the tall man's coat sleeve, dragging him into the mass of Kokuryukai. Unluckily, the part that they had chosen as their path easily contained the most people, and the most closely-packed.

Aoshi followed, pushing through the seething press of men. The ninja girl was making little progress, with her light weight and small stature. Eventually, he gave up on letting her lead, and, with a tug, pulled her towards him, and into his arms.

Blushing, and trying to ignore the fact that she was in Aoshi's arms, Misao craned her neck, trying to see what had happened to the fighters. The tall man noticed, and slung her upwards, so she sat on his shoulder, which made Misao blush a little less – but not much.

They were little more than two-thirds of the way through the crowd when Misao saw the Leader of the Kokuryukai stroll over towards the rooster-headed man, where he knelt on the ground.

---

Kaoru strode out onto the veranda, behind the crowd of Kokuryukai.

On the outskirts of the crowd, Kaoru couldn't see much, but she could make out a clear space where two figures were – Shishio, and Sano, kneeling.

Kaoru forced herself through the crowd to the makeshift arena, hoping that Sano was alright, and that Kenshin was around here somewhere.

Her wish was granted – she almost tripped over him. The redhead lay, sprawled limply over the paving stones, and with a shock, Kaoru saw an enormous hole in the right shoulder of his gi. The flesh beneath it was stained with grey powder and substantial bruising.

_How did he get this?! Dear Kami-sama, don't let it be fatal…_

The two spirits had told her that they needed the body to wake up, but Kaoru had no idea what to do. Following her instincts, she pulled the flaccid form into her lap, and began shaking at his uninjured shoulder, and calling out to him.

"Kenshin! Kenshin, come back… wake up. Please, Sano's in trouble… please, wake up…"

_No response…_

"Kenshin… Wake up, please… Kenshin, Kenshin!"

As she continued shaking, and pleading with the unconscious figure to wake, she watched Sano, and the man who had just beaten him.

With a smirk, Shishio noticed the girl trying to wake Battousai. _I'll just finish off this idiot, and then… Battousai…_

He strolled over to the hunched figure, and bent down, to speak.

---

"So, you lost. What's your name? I like to know the names of men I kill." Shishio's smug smirk indicated that he knew that Sano was going nowhere, and was at his mercy.

"Fuck off." Sano's voice was bitter at his helplessness.

The smirk only deepened at the defiance. "Oh, how sad. I can't even tell my men who I killed today. And I didn't even have to use the Guren-Kaina. Pathetic."

"I said, _fuck off!_" The fighter raised his eyes to Shishio's and chocolate burned into crimson, in what he knew was to be his last act on the earth.

_I may as well go down fighting… just to give Shishio something to think about. _He attempted to raise the zanbato, but shock was beginning to affect his body, and the muscles strained and shook, refusing.

"There is no way you can win." Shishio's voice was cold. "The strong survive: the weak die. That is the law of nature. You are weak, therefore you must die."

The katana, its flame now almost dead, was raised, and began to fall towards Sano's neck.

Searching the crowd for a certain woman, Sano sent out his farewell.

_Goodbye, Megumi – I love you…_

---

"NOOOOO!" The blade never came down on Sano's neck. Instead, he was shoved out of the way by a flying figure.

_No! Sano can't die!_

Megumi.

The fox-woman had dropped her medicine chest as she saw Shishio raise his blade, and she had sprinted with all the speed she could gather.

_Kami-sama, let me make it!_

She had dived in front of the blade, pushing Sano from its path.

_He's safe! Thank Kami-sama…_

But in the process, she had placed herself in the line of fire.

With a dreadful thud, the flaming katana hit her. It impacted on the point of her right shoulder, then dragged across, carving its way bloodily through muscle, cauterizing as it went. Then, with an excruciating collision, it hit her right shoulderblade, and bounced away. The force of Shishio's strike tumbled her over, and away from the man she had saved.

She flipped once, twice, and landed, sprawled on her face, limp from the shock of the blow.

_But it doesn't hurt,_ she mused absently, and pushed herself up, to turn back over. The movement jolted the new wound, and the pain she had not noticed before was suddenly real, searing out of a blue sky and beating her to the ground.

Sano stared in wonder and horror at the fallen body. _She did that for me?!_

Shishio temporarily left where he was standing, tormenting Sano, and strolled over to the woman. Nudging her with his toe, he roughly flicked her over on to her back.

A gasping scream of agony manifested itself on Megumi's lips without thought or even impulse. The pain had doubled, tripled, as the wounded shoulder had slapped down on to the hard, cold paving.

The scream ripped through Sano's heart. _She did that to save me! She didn't want me to die, and I don't want her to die… I love her, she can't die!_

Megumi gasped raggedly as Shishio nudged her. "Why did you do that? Hmm? Do you love him? He's too pathetic to have someone love him." Shishio's gaze was directed back to Sano, and his lip curled as he took in the young fighter.

A pained smile curved Megumi's lips, ever so briefly. _I may as well admit it, right, conscience?_

The barely audible response was "…Yes…"

One word had never changed Sano's world so much.

_She… she loves me?_

_Megumi… _

How could this elegant, poised woman, the most popular geisha of the 'Red Sakura' teahouse, love him, an ex-fighter, a man who was only a dojo assistant? How could she love someone like him? He had thought it was only a forlorn, unrequited feeling… but to have her return it, that shook his world, down to the deepest foundations of his heart.

_She loves me…_

_I have to help her…_

His pain forgotten in the face of Megumi's, he shoved himself up, and crawled over to where she lay. Watched with scorn by Shishio, he lifted her with infinite tenderness, resting her uninjured shoulder on his uninjured leg, cradling her with the greatest care in the world.

Stripping off the worn 'aku'-marked coat on his back, he quickly bound it around her shoulder, trying to stop the bleeding, and hoping with all his heart that the wound wasn't serious enough to permanently damage.

As he moved her, she hissed through her teeth at the stinging pain. Eventually, the coat bound about her to his satisfaction, Sano lowered her again to the ground, and knelt beside her, ignoring Shishio, the Kokuryukai, Kenshin and Kaoru. His world right now was Megumi.

He gently, simply caressed her face. "You meant that? What you answered?"

She smiled up at his worried, yet hopeful face. "Yes."

His relief was palpable, a responding smile on his lips. "I love you, too."

Then Sano's mind went to the man behind him, and his face hardened. Megumi was wounded. Badly. And it was his fault. The bandaged man was a good swordsman – there was no way that he couldn't have stopped the blade before it hurt Megumi – so he had deliberately let the blade fall, deliberately injured Megumi. The young fighter's blood began to boil, for the second time that night. But this time, it was a hot, deep rage, not the simple anger at the bandaged man's hurting of his friend.

This time, it was the most anger he had ever felt. His innermost core was boiling red. This man had hurt the woman he loved, who loved him, and there was no way in the seven hells that Sano would let him get away with it.

---

With a shiver, Kaoru noticed that the flames of the torches around the perimeter of the courtyard were flickering. Then, with a quivering sigh, the branches of the sakura in the courtyard briefly shook, and the sakura already on the ground lifted for a moment in an unfelt wind.

The body in her arms gave a convulsive shudder.

She looked down, and a pair of eyes snapped open, and bored into hers.

They were neither purple, nor amber, but were gold-veined amethysts, hard and cold.

"Kenshin…"

The magenta-clad man sat up, then stood, with a smoothness that belied his injuries. Kaoru followed him up, standing beside him as he took in the scene – Shishio standing over Sano, who had Megumi in his arms. The wrecked gi fell off his shoulder, and he slipped the right hand out of the loose sleeve. Kaoru noticed the stiffness with which he moved the arm.

_He found that difficult! How can he fight…?_

Then he turned to her, and the cold jewels sparkled with warmth for a minute.

"Kaoru. I love you." And he bent over, and kissed her lips.

She stood stunned as he turned again, in a swish of magenta material, and started to cross the courtyard.

---

Sano stumbled to his feet, and unsteadily took up a fighting stance. _I'll get him… hurting Megumi… when she was saving me!_ He knew there was no way he could get to the zanbato – it would be too heavy to lift anyway – but he could do some damage with his fists, at the very least.

Shishio smirked at his awkward posture, and swished his sword across into position for the Homuradama.

Then, the young fighter felt a hand on his shoulder, and he turned his head.

Blazing amethyst-and-amber eyes met startled chocolate.

"Sano. Get out of the way. Now."

* * *

**Author's Notes: **Yay! More cliffhanger! I bet you all love me, and are going to throw (virtual) vegetables at me for that. At least I let you know what Kenshin's up to! The thing is, I like having something that will keep me reading – and this sort of ending is great for that. I hope you like it! 

And SOOOO much SxM mushiness! I planned it for later, but… well… my Muse wrote it in here. Battousai likes mucking up my plot plans…

One thing that I had here which I planned was both Kenshin and Sano being topless… or mostly so… Aren't they just gorgeous?! /drools all over keyboard/

Review! Please! Onegai!

**Review Replies:** Thanks to all my reviewers, but there's no reviews for TRA 12 yet!


	14. Revealing Fracture

**To Reveal All**

**Chapter 14: Revealing Fracture**

**By steelphoenix**

* * *

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Rurouni Kenshin, or any of its characters. 

**Author's Notes:** Late again… /sweatdrops/ And posted in a very great hurry. But here it is. Happy New Year, everyone! I hope 2005 is a successful, fun year for you. Blessings and joy to all.

I'm not sure the title works with the chapter, but it does highlight one of the main incidents in the chapter. I'm not going to say anything about writing this chapter, anything I say will immediately give away what I plan to happen (If I haven't already, by talking about the title. Oh well.).

I will say one thing: This is easily my favourite chapter of TRA (so far). Enjoy.

**Language Notes:** I've used 'chi', instead of 'ki', for the swordsman's sense, because that's what it's called in my manga translation.

Ryutsuishousen (Dragon Hammer Flight Flash) is best seen in the anime.

Waraji are the straw sandals / jandals / flip-flops / whatever-the-heck-you-call-thems that people wore on their feet (I hope that's the right spelling, correct me if I'm wrong).

**Warnings:**PG-13 for violence and sexual situations/scenes.

* * *

Shishio had noticed the shivering of the sakura, and when he saw Battousai appear behind the young fighter he was tormenting, he knew that the legendary hitokiri had been responsible. The deepest swordsman's chi he had ever felt from an opponent had risen from the redhead. 

As Kenshin pushed Sano aside, and he stumbled away from the two, the dojo assistant stared hard at the dojo master, knowing that there was something strange at work here.

_He's different from when he was Rurouni… from when he was Battousai… even different from before, when he was fighting Shishio._ There wasn't the aggressive edges of Battousai, and there wasn't the slightly-soft, smooth mercy of the Rurouni. There wasn't even the odd melding of the two, the edges and smoothness combined, as it had been before Shishio knocked him out.

Now, Sano could feel the combination of the two – and not separate entities within the one body, but the two personalities absolutely synchronised, totally the same.

Not merely coexisting, not even simply working together.

They were one.

This was the true Kenshin, undiluted, unbroken, untorn. He was utterly at peace with himself, utterly in control, utterly in harmony with the world and his place in it. He was working towards only one goal: the defeat of Shishio.

And right now, he was the most dangerous man in the world. More dangerous than Rurouni, the man who wore a sakabato to prevent killing. More dangerous than Battousai, the assassin who secretly regretted his work. Now the two, and their powers, were combined, unchecked, unrestrained, totally without thought of retreat, but also totally without thought of killing.

Freed and feral.

And, Kami-sama help him, Shishio was on the receiving end.

Sano almost pitied him.

---

As the rooster-headed fighter stumbled away from the two combatants, the tall Okashira stepped out of the crowd. Setting Misao down, he gently pushed her in Sano's direction, indicating with a nod that she was to aid him. With ninja silence and caution, Aoshi crossed to where Megumi lay, forgotten by Kenshin and Shishio. With a gesture to hush her, he lifted her in his arms and carried her around the silent circle of spectators to where her 'younger sister' stood, lost in contemplation of the changed Kenshin.

Misao caught Sano, waited for him to regain his balance, and then led him, limping awkwardly, to follow in Aoshi's wake.

Kaoru was snapped out of her observation of the now-circling fighters by Aoshi's setting Megumi down by her.

"Megumi!" Kaoru knelt, checking on her 'older sister's condition. She had seen the dive Megumi had made to save Sano, and had been horrified that her sensible, pragmatic friend had done something so impulsive and foolhardy.

"I'm… alright, Kaoru," Megumi croaked, painfully, "It was…" gasp, "worth… it."

_Well, she's talking well, no blood on her lips, so there's no punctured lung,_ Kaoru thought, relieved. That had been her major fear on seeing where Shishio's blade had struck.

Sano limped up, assisted by Misao, in time to hear Megumi's last rasping statement. His face changed from a grimace to a grin, and he sank to his knees beside the geisha, awkwardly and laboriously. Once he was sitting beside her, injured limb outstretched, he caressed her face gently.

"Thanks, fox. I love you, too. Are you alright? You're not in too much pain?" The warmth and concern in his voice was deeper than Kaoru had ever heard.

"When did this happen?!" she asked, shocked.

"Ages ago," replied Sano, looking up at her. Megumi's only reply was a rolling of eyes, despairing that her 'younger sister' was so insensitive.

Finally Kaoru realised what the teasing, and mock arguments between the two had been – their own form of flirting… and it had been happening almost since the two had met.

"Then you two are…?" The light dawning, Kaoru's very-obvious question was merely reflex.

"I love… Sano, yes…" gasp, cough, "He… loves me… too." Megumi's halting reply somehow managed to be mocking, even when her voice was barely able to be heard.

_Love seems to happen in the unlikely places…_

Her thoughts going to Kenshin, Kaoru turned to where he, and his opponent, were stalking in wary circles, waiting for the other to move.

---

_He wants to circle? **He's just waiting. Watching.** Wanting a space, a weakness, before he tries to beat me._ Kenshin knew what Shishio was up to. It was classic: Wait until your opponent shows a weakness, then exploit that weakness to your own advantage.

_**Very well.** A weakness I shall give him._

The shoulder that had received the Guren-Kaina lowered infinitesimally. Not enough to be an open invitation, not enough to be obvious, but just enough for Kenshin to gauge how observant Shishio was.

_He's lowered that shoulder! The Guren-Kaina worked!_ Shishio silently exulted. _At last, a gap I can use!_

"HAAAAYAAAAHHHH!!" Shishio sprung forwards, katana screaming across the stones, its feeble flame flaring again.

_Just as I guessed. **Come to me…**_

_He's not even reacting!_ thought Shishio, his mad run at the redhead faltering ever-so-slightly.

This was what Kenshin had been waiting for.

The small fighter leapt high in the air. His light frame flew high, and as he fell, sword-blade extended, Shishio saw his intent, and moved. The flaming katana swept up, tracing its trail, and blocked the falling strike.

"Hiten Mitsurugi Style. Ryutsui… shousen."

The falling strike entirely missed Shishio's block, and as Kenshin landed hard, he immediately sprang up, sword held horizontally. As Shishio looked down, the blunted side of the sakabato took him under the chin, lifting him into the air.

Landing ignominiously on his backside, Shishio stared up at the small fighter, spitting blood. He had bitten his tongue when the Ryutsuishousen struck, and the wound stung violently.

_He's moving so smoothly, so fast… much faster than before! And he tricked me with that strange attack…_

---

_A combination strike!_ Kaoru stared across at Kenshin, marvelling at the ease and speed with which he had united two such different strikes.

Seeing Shishio raise himself to his feet, she observed Kenshin's response.

The redhead strolled around his opponent, until Shishio was forced to turn to keep up with his movement. She saw that he didn't move with the humble, almost-mincing step of the respectful Rurouni Kenshin she knew, nor with the stalking, feral movement of the Battousai, that she had only seen briefly, when he was threatening her danna.

This was a confident, easy stride that displayed warrior's grace, but without the anger of the hitokiri or the self-effacement of the rurouni.

It was the same as the intense aura, the deep chi she could feel radiating from him. Not the hitokiri, not the rurouni, but a flawless overlapping of the two.

_He's at long last one person._ The simple phrase slipped into her head, and she realised that it was right. The Battousai and the Rurouni were together, their personalities meshed and melded together into one seamless being.

Kenshin was whole again.

_This is Kenshin… the real Kenshin… not Rurouni, not Battousai… both. Joined together. Kenshin._

_My Kenshin… Please… let this being still be the man I knew…_

---

Kenshin advanced again, and crouched, not in Battoujutsu stance, but kneeling over on his left knee, right leg bent up forwards, and right hand on the hilt of his sword.

_**Let's see** if this trick works._

Shishio moved, shifting over to his left so that the Battousai's attack would not be coming straight at him, but would have to bend to accommodate his movement.

_Good, good. **And now…**_

Kenshin shifted, following Shishio's movement. The shuffle of his straw waraji on the pavings was easily heard over the faint buzz that the crowd made, but Kenshin's friends – and reluctant allies – watched in deep silence.

_I was right…_ Shishio grinned. _He can't launch a successful attack from that position without the course being as straight as possible._

_**I was right…** He took the **bait with **great alacrity. Now to **suck him in…**_

Kenshin shifted again, once more following the line of Shishio's movement.

Having tested the Battousai's trick again, and now certain, Shishio moved.

Arcing in a circle around his opponent, he was aiming for the blind spot behind Kenshin's back. Speeding up his run to an almost-godlike speed, his black boots moved with only the slightest tapping. He glanced briefly at where his opponent was supposed to be, instead of the spot he intended to stop – something he never did, had never done, but which was to save his life now.

_He's not there…_

Then the sakabato came down on the point at which his spine joined his shoulders.

Kenshin had taken off with his godlike speed the moment Shishio had moved for the third time, and curving in his wake, came down like greased lightning on the Leader's unprotected back.

The shift of movement from the glance caused the sakabato to strike not across the spine, where it would do permanent, possibly fatal damage, but on the fragile left collarbone.

_CRACK!_

Bone snapped, and the fractured ends grated against one another brutally.

With a visceral, groaning scream, Shishio sank to the ground.

---

"_Shishio_!" Yumi cried as she saw her lord fall. She had heard the vicious crack of sword against bone, and her lord's scream tore at her. The young woman ran from the porch, shoving through a now-silent, yielding crowd, and dove across the arena towards him.

Skidding to a halt, and collapsing before him, she immediately reached out to aid him, but her hand was stopped.

By the blade of a sakabato.

She lowered the arm, as the blade reached over Shishio's shoulder and tipped up her chin with the point, blunted side up.

She glared at the man who had hurt her Shishio. Purple glared into gold-veined purple, daring him to turn the sakabato over and cut her.

"You… monster!" she spat, for lack of anything else to say.

"Any warrior expects to be injured in a battle with a superior." Battousai's voice was calm, but Yumi noticed it kept modulating between deep, dark tonings and lighter, more kind notes.

"_Superior_?! No-one is superior to him! Not even the Hitokiri Battousai!"

"You show loyalty," said the redheaded man, smiling, though the smile didn't reach his eyes. "Not many in this age would follow, and aid, their lord in circumstances such as this."

"Shishio is worthy of anything I can give him!"

Again that mirthless smile. "I am glad you love your lord –" Yumi gasped at the Battousai's presumption, "– but even your love for him will not save him from being beaten, as he is now."

---

The briefest of silent snarls curled Shishio's lips, and the bandaged man's face contorted again. He was indeed close to being beaten.

Battousai was too quick to let him use any of his other attacks, which relied on speed and the fire-ability, and he couldn't do most of them one-handed anyway. This, combined with the redhead's ability to predict the reactions of his opponent, meant that this was far more formidable a fight than Shishio had anticipated.

_There's only one thing to do… I have to distract him!_

_And the best way to distract him…_

A mirthless, malicious grin plastered itself unseen on the Leader's face, and he glanced across the courtyard at the crowd, seeking out a certain group of people. The black-haired girl that he had seen Battousai kiss… she was the ideal target. Despite the split-seam kimono, and the katana she was handling with every appearance of competence, if Battousai had an emotional attachment to her… then injuring her would inhibit Battousai.

_Hopefully severely… She's a pretty girl, who wouldn't want to keep her in one piece?_

The bandaged man chuckled quietly, his evil glee unheard as the plan began to foment in his mind.

---

Kaoru had seen the plum-haired woman run across the courtyard to kneel facing Shishio, her back to where Kaoru was. Kenshin's reaching over Shishio's shoulder and his accompanying words were absolutely clear to her.

'_Beaten'? I was right… Kenshin's not Battousai. He would have said 'killed', or something like it, if he was._

Some small part of her was jumping for joy that Battousai was not the one dealing with the situation here, but the rest of her was utterly apprehensive about this unknown mixing of Battousai and Rurouni. These were uncharted waters…

As she watched, Shishio lifted his head. His gaze was solidly focussing on her, Kaoru realised. With a shiver, she turned her head half-away from the crimson stare, trying to avoid Shishio and watch Kenshin at the same time. This half-avoiding, half-desiring, wholly confused exercise was completely unproductive, and eventually she gave up, and just watched Kenshin.

---

Kenshin's cold stare at the purple-eyed woman obviously disheartened her, and she broke the staring match, looking down at the man she had come to help. Lifting her hands to Shishio's broken shoulder, she flicked her eyes upwards, asking permission. Receiving a single, brief nod of assent, she lifted the shoulder of her lord's kimono away from the broken bones.

The movement caused Shishio to hiss involuntarily, and Yumi immediately lifted her hands away, her expression contrite.

"Shishio…"

"Do what you will." Shishio grated, through clenched teeth.

Raising her hands again, she reached into her kimono sleeve, and pulled out the concealed dagger she wore all the time.

Within the barest of seconds, the sakabato flicked it away, to skiff over the cobbles until it came to rest perhaps three metres from the tiny tableau.

Yumi again lifted her head. No staring match happened this time. She simply looked up at Kenshin, and he returned it.

"I will cut bandages over there," she said, pointing to where the knife had landed.

The slightest of nods authorised her movement. She crept over the stones, and knelt by the fallen knife. Seizing the right shoulder of her kimono, she neatly cut the stitching, so it simply fell off in one piece. The dagger facilitated cutting it into long strips, eminently suitable for bandages.

The whole task took no more than two minutes to complete, and for the whole of it, the Kokuryukai, Kaoru, Sano and Megumi, Aoshi and Misao hung on to her every move with bated breath. There was no sound but the slight tinking of the dagger-blade against the stone, and the ripping as the sleeve was turned into flame-orange bandages.

Yumi stuffed the dagger into her obi, and carried the tangled, snaky mess of brilliant bandages over to where Shishio knelt, placing them down.

As she reached for his shoulder, her lifting arms revealed the dagger.

_Just too tempting…_

Before Kenshin had the chance to react, Shishio reached forwards with his unencumbered right hand, and grabbed out the long knife.

---

Kaoru saw the rapid movement of Shishio's hands, saw his grab of the dagger. As he lifted it to throw, his gaze was fixed, intent and completely focussed on his target.

Kaoru.

_So that was why he was staring at me… I'm his target…_

The sakabato came down too late. Shishio's arm had already thrust the dagger forwards. It cut through the air, spinning towards her.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** More cliffhanger… it's getting exciting! Really exciting! At current rate of progress, I see TRA being 16, possibly up to 18 chapters long. So people, we're near the end. 

What do you think of the 'combined Kenshin's' style of thoughts? I wanted to get the feeling of the alternating/changing voice between Rurouni and Battousai, but I have the feeling it may have confused some people. Tell me if you think I should change it.

This was supposed to be nothing but fighting… but somehow, the meringue ended up in there anyway… /sigh/ Battousai mucking with the plot plan, yet _again_…

(Battousai, a.k.a. Nix-chan's Muse: Don't blame me. You're the one who does the meringue. _I_ think you don't have enough fighting.

Nix: It's nearly the whole damn chapter!

Battousai: There's fluffy stuff in the middle. Which is boring.

Nix: Get used to it, Battousai! This is a _romance_ story, after all! Go back and read Chapter 11 – it's _all_ fighting… Gaahh! You're screwing up my thoughts for the next chapter!)

**Review Replies: **Thanks to all my reviewers.

half-breed-demon-fox – Drooling all over your keyboard too… hehe, I couldn't resist…

anime-luney (for TRA12 review) – Filler chapters are still chapters, yes… and necessary!

anime-luney (for TRA13 review) – Life does tend to intrude on fanfic, ne? That's why Battousai is currently fighting off a writer's block for me. 'I beg of thee' means 'I beg you'. People used to say thee and thou… well, just because, I suppose…

shan – A bit late, by my standards, but what do you call 'soon'?

lyn – Like I said, this'll probably end up being 16-18 chapters long, so you needn't worry about it finishing just yet!

HiEi JaGaNsHis FlAmE – Don't worry, I got the chapter done, despite drooling on my keyboard… I don't think it's a coincidence that you like these pairings. These are the 'canon' (i.e. follow the manga/anime plot) pairings, and most people follow them. Never mind that you didn't review… I know you're out there, reading, and that's good.

RangerDo'Urden – Is this soon enough? I'm sorry about the big wait with the last chapter, but I had things going on (including Christmas). I'm glad you like the chapter(s)!

thechickenlittle2000 – Long live fluff indeed! Thanks for the compliments, and…

(Battousai: She better think I'm doing a 'great job' – or it could be bad for her health.

Nix: Yes, I know, Battousai, just let me finish the review replies.

Battousai: /death glare/)

…Battousai thanks you too.

Crewel – There wasn't much in the way of SxM stuff this chapter, but there will be more in the next, promise.

inuyasha/kenshin gurl – Cliffhangers are mean, aren't they? And here I am, giving you another one… /evil grin/


	15. Revealing Fangs

**To Reveal All**

**Chapter 15: Revealing Fangs**

**By steelphoenix**

* * *

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Rurouni Kenshin, or any of its characters.

**Author's Notes:** Sorry I took so long to update. This chapter just _did not_ want to be written. Battousai's got a full-time job fighting off a writer's block, so I don't have my Muse. Rurouni volunteered to stand in, but I'd keep getting distracted by that smile…

I probably shouldn't have dropped you where I did. But, well, it was turning into a very long chapter, and I had to stop somewhere, so why not at a dramatic point? Nevertheless, I probably shouldn't have… but it was fun /evil grin/. Battousai and I were agreed on that point. I didn't this time… so you can put down the (virtual) vegetables… /ducks/

**Language Notes:** The tsuba of a katana is the guard between blade and hilt. The menuki is the small ornament beneath the bindings on the hilt. Again, check .

**Warnings:** R for violence and sexual situations/scenes.

* * *

Shishio's arm thrust forwards, flinging Yumi's dagger. Spinning through the air, it sped towards Kaoru.

She barely even thought as she clicked the katana out of its sheath. A thrust with her thumb to the tsuba, and the blade flew out of the sheath. She grabbed the blade as it shot out, the sheath, now unsupported, falling to the ground.

With the easy grace of one who had deflected flying weapons before, she lifted the blade, and the airborne dagger struck it, zinging off and falling with a clatter to the stones.

All the spectators gaped for a moment.

Except two.

Shishio was moving the moment he launched the dagger. In the scant second before it reached Kaoru, he had already repositioned himself a couple of metres from Kenshin.

Kenshin had seen the movement of Shishio's arm, and he had tried to stop the blade with his sakabato, wasting a few precious moments.

"Kaoru!" Unconsciously, he had cried out her name as the dagger flew.

When it clanged off the blade of her katana – his katana – the relief that flooded him was the greatest he had ever known. The woman he loved – and he knew that he did, now more than ever – was safe.

And he'd had no part in protecting her…

_I should have **guessed that he would** try something like that!_ He berated himself. _Kaoru was **in danger!**_

But she had done what he could not, and protected herself.

_It proves **I'm unworthy** of her…_

---

Kaoru lowered the katana slowly, watching the dagger cease its spinning slowly, from where it rested on the stones. It had been a close call…

She looked up to see Kenshin standing, seemingly dumbstruck, in the middle of the courtyard, staring at her. The guilt and pain in his face was so deep as to be almost unbearable.

_He always wanted to protect me… _Kaoru knew that that had been one of the first parts of Kenshin's character she had seen, and now she knew that it had been one of the first manifestations of his love for her. Now, his failure in that would be wracking his mind with shame.

_I have to reassure him… He needs reassuring…_

"Kenshin…" she made to step out, but as she did, fluttering purple cloth caught the corner of her eye. Shishio was moving again.

_Hah, my plan worked! Aiming for that girl distracted him enough!_ Shishio knew that his plan had been a long shot, but now that it had succeeded…

"Kenshin!" Kaoru yelled as the bandaged man ran towards the redhead. The blank, remorseful stare snapped, a thread of thought flicking life back into his gold-veined amethyst eyes.

Shishio sped towards him, in a straight attack, lunging for his heart.

Kenshin, though only just recovering, avoided the katana, lifting the sakabato to defend.

But the shock of the attack on Kaoru had cleaned his memory of the mistake that had earned him the Guren-Kaina.

Shishio's hand swept through.

Seizing the tie of the redhead's hakama, the bandaged man hoisted Kenshin upwards once again.

And he buried his teeth in Kenshin's shoulder.

---

"AAAAAAHHHH!"

Kenshin cried out as the Leader's teeth ripped through his skin. All the blood in his body seemed to rush to the broken spot, flowing out in abundant amounts. Pain blossomed into a fiery flower on his shoulder, overwhelming his senses and abilities, but still a reproach to himself threaded through his mind.

_Why did I **fall for his trick **again?! I should **have known…**_

His fists clenched, half in anger, half in pain. The tight grip bought blood throbbing out of the wound, and the menuki on the sakabato's hilt dug into his palm.

_The sakabato's **hilt…**_

The realisation that he still had his sword pushed laboriously through the fog of throbbing pain.

The Kokuryukai was still gnawing on Kenshin's shoulder, licking at the blood, ripping at the torn flesh. Bolts of agony shot through Kenshin with every nip of the man's teeth.

Lifting the sakabato, Kenshin began to move it to the Leader's chest, to thrust it through.

**_To kill… It's what has to happen!_** Of this, Kenshin was nearly sure. It was the only way.

Then a darting voice countered, _What about the vow not to kill?!_

_**He'll kill me if I don't kill him first!**_

_Killing is never the answer!_

The two voices swirled in his head, and in reflection of it, the sakabato lifted and fell as the two gained and lost ascendancy by degrees.

The Kokuryukai Leader, though absorbed in tasting the sweetness of blood, could not miss it. His mouth unfastened from the redhead's shoulder first. Then, as he saw what was happening, his face clouded with confusion.

_What's going on here…? It's like he's fighting with himself…_ Shishio could sense the rising and falling of two distinctly different chi forces within the man. _Perhaps… perhaps he is fighting himself…_

He remembered the occasional odd movements that had occurred within their last fight, apparently without reason. He remembered the pure amber of the man's eyes before the fight. Now, as he looked, he saw that amber and amethyst mixed in the staring eyes.

_He has two people inside him…!_

Suddenly afraid of the possibilities of a man with two forces of will controlling his mind, he abruptly dropped the redhead. As the man fell to the pavement, limp as a boned fish, Shishio backed away, his Kokuryukai following suit, backing away from the combat area, and Kenshin's friends.

Shishio wiped at the blood on his mouth, trying to remove possible contamination of Battousai's madness.

---

As Shishio grabbed and lifted Kenshin for the second time that night, Sano growled in shock that the same trick could be successfully be played twice on his so-observant friend.

"Sano, what… is… the matter?" Megumi gasped out.

"This is the second time he's played that trick on Kenshin… The first time, he –" Sano began to explain, but Shishio had bitten down on the redhead's shoulder. Kenshin's yell and Kaoru's scream were simultaneous, and Sano winced at the volume of the girl's voice, right next to him. His leg was throbbing, and the scream gave an answering throb to his head.

"Missy, sit down… There's nothing you can do…" he looked upwards, talking calmly, trying to quieten Kaoru's fear.

She didn't sit down, or even acknowledge his statement.

"Kaoru…" cough, "sit down." Megumi's voice, despite being halting, was commanding. Her 'younger sister' paid no attention, absorbed in Kenshin's pain.

Megumi's face fell, disappointed and hurt that her friend paid no attention. Sano gently stroked his fox's cheek, and explained. "She's totally absorbed in Kenshin… she won't do anything for anyone until this is over."

"Selfish…" Megumi smiled up at the tall man, indicating that she was joking. A return smile graced his lips.

"Then again, maybe 'love' and 'selfish' are one and the same." Sano looked back up at the battleground, where Shishio had Kenshin suspended. His soft smile faded as he added, "I don't blame her."

"Neither…"

---

Kaoru was totally absorbed in Kenshin. Every muscle twitch from Shishio's chewing made her flinch. The rise and fall of the sakabato brought faint moans of pain and anxiety from her lips, and she clenched the katana tighter.

She knew the moment that Battousai and Rurouni separated. She could feel the alteration in Kenshin's chi, from the steadily burning flame of the whole Kenshin, to two rising and falling fires.

_They've separated again! Is this good… or bad…?_

Then Shishio lifted his head, and she saw the confusion on his bandaged face. His expression told her that he could sense the changes in chi, but didn't know what to make of them. He didn't know the reason behind them.

Then realisation began to dawn on the wrapped face, and it was clear that he had realised that there were two personalities in the body.

_What will he do now? Please, please, don't hurt him…_

Shishio dropped Kenshin, who slumped to the cobbles with a swish of magenta and white. His limp lack of movement scared Kaoru, and fear grew in her as the period of immobility lengthened.

_He's not unconscious, is he?!_

She stared across the courtyard, unknowing of what to do.

_There's only one way to find out._

No-one noticed her movement until she had already begun her run forwards to kneel by Kenshin.

---

Kaoru knelt by Kenshin's side, dropping her katana beside her.

The small man's body flopped limply as Kaoru lifted him into her lap for the second time that night. His face was pale, the staring eyes were dulled from jewels to stones, and the brilliant hair seemed somehow washed-out. Again, she knew that she had to wake him – but this time, the two spirits hadn't spoken to her. She simply knew.

_If he doesn't wake soon, then… the two will consume him from within._ The thought sprung into her mind, instinct speaking more clearly than reason. While she could sense the chi of the two spirits, she could tell that they were fading, and if they weren't distracted long enough to let their body regain consciousness, Kenshin – both sides of him – would die. They were both holding to the control of the body too determinedly to allow its natural reactions to take place.

She had to get him out of the grip of the two's command.

She had to distract them.

_Wait, distraction…?_ There was a distraction that had worked once before, when Battousai had taken the upper hand – that night when Kaoru had first seen Kenshin as Battousai.

_But… I can't do that here…!_ Embarrassment tinged her cheeks pinkly.

_WHAT?!_ Her mind analysed what she'd just said. _Too embarrassed to SAVE KENSHIN'S LIFE?!_

_I have to do this!_

Her colour deepening with each moment, she took a deep breath – as she would at the beginning of a session of training – and she leant down to the dear, scarred face that rested in her lap –

– The briefest of pauses –

– And she lowered her lips to his. She allowed her lips to move gently against his, once, and then she lifted her head, staring down, waiting for the slightest indication that it had worked.

A gentle warmth, and a hint of colour, rushed outwards from Kenshin's lips, and across his face. Kaoru stroked his cheek, dislodging a bang of ruby hair. It fell back, shimmering with life again.

But there was no animation in the eyes. They remained stony and unresponsive.

"Kenshin… please…!" Kaoru's whisper carried across the quiet courtyard. All were silent, unknowing of what their response should be.

_He can't just… _die_! Doesn't he know I love him?_ Her face drew up in sorrow. She'd finally realised that she loved him, and now he was to be taken away…?

_Kenshin can't just _die_! I love him, he can't die!_

She screwed her face up, trying to prevent the inevitable tears, but they came nevertheless. Salty drops slid slowly across her cheeks, falling on the reactionless face.

"Kenshin… I love you, come back…" her barely-audible words were a plea from the deepest depths of her heart.

Desperately, refusing to let him go, she bent again, and laved his lips with kisses.

---

Deep in the depths of Kenshin's mind, two personalities, nearly polar opposites, argued the fate of their body.

_No! I will control!_ Rurouni's voice snapped, determined.

**_This body is rightfully mine!_** Battousai was equally adamant, refusing to yield any control to the more peaceful spirit.

_I am as much part of it as you!_ The spirit in question thought he had scored a point, but apparently Battousai didn't care. **_Yes – but I'm the one they need in this situation! This is a battle, they need me!_**

_I can fight just as_ – Rurouni paused. _Did you feel –?_

_**Yes… someone's calling us…**_

Both spirits could now feel the intense tug from their body. Calling them irresistibly, it was faint, but growing in strength with every second.

**_Truce…?_**

Rurouni did a double-take. Battousai was never the one who loved peace. It was always he who would try to compromise, to find the way out.

**_So we can help Kaoru. She's crying, and she's crying for us._** Battousai's tone was fierce. **_I won't let her weep – she's not a girl who should shed tears._**

_Alright… truce for now. Should we merge?_ The offer was made peacefully, but internally, Rurouni was cursing himself for not picking up Kaoru's grief earlier.

_**Merging worked well before. It should now.**_

As they rose though the dark waters of the soul, they both concentrated on Kaoru… and her tears.

---

Aoshi's long experience with dead and dying bodies told him that while Battousai was still alive, he was not in good condition. The pasty complexion, the dull hair, the utter limpness of the man said quite clearly that he wasn't going to last long. That girl's tears weren't going to do anything, anyway.

"Aoshi-sama…?" Misao queried, wondering why his face has suddenly grown tight and closed again. She took a stab at guessing. "Is he… dead?"

"No. No yet, certainly. Later…? It depends on whether he can get out of the 'chi well' he's created."

" 'Chi well'?" Misao's face was even more confused than previously.

Aoshi's deadpan face broke, and he smiled down at her, slightly amused that she hadn't heard of it. "It happens when you're too deeply retreated within yourself – your chi begins to fall deeper and deeper into your soul. Fall too deeply, and you will die."

Misao's horrified gasp echoed, and she huddled closer to the Okashira.

"No. The girl's tears and kisses will pull him out of the 'well'." Aoshi knew this from experience. He had been falling into a chi well himself, depressed and angry that he had to serve the Kokuryukai for a debt his father had incurred. Then Misao had come along, and the enthusiasm with which she threw herself into life inspired and encouraged him, and began the long process of his falling in love with her.

"Can she really?" Misao wanted badly for her to succeed, but Aoshi's description of a chi well made it seem hopeless – how could you overcome yourself?

"She loves him. That is obvious… and that will be enough to pull him out." The certainty of the Okashira's voice made her look up at him, to check he wasn't just saying that. Confidence was evident on his face.

Misao looked out again at the couple on the pavings. _It's possible… please wake up, Battousai…_

---

Swimming up though Kenshin's soul, the two spirits gradually began merge as they had before, as they had agreed.

As they rose, they began to feel through their body's senses. The digging of stone into the back was immediately evident, as was the throbbing of wounds.

But they were ignored in favour of barely-felt kisses, and damp tears on skin.

As the body's senses became stronger, taste kicked in, and Kenshin could distinguish the salt of Kaoru's tears, and the sweetness of her lips on his.

He moved his lips briefly, trying to see how fine his control of his body was now. Kaoru felt the movement, and she slowly raised her head, gazing down into his face.

_I thought that I felt –_

The cloudiness of the eyes abruptly fell away. The stones were jewels once more – amber-veined amethyst.

"Kenshin…!" Joy and relief rang through Kaoru's voice.

"…Kaoru…" the rough whisper was gentle, and Kenshin awkwardly manoeuvred himself from lying in her lap, to sitting, facing her.

"Why did you fight yourself…?" Kaoru's tone was filled with worry, affection, and curiosity.

Kenshin would have shrugged, if not for the wounds on his shoulders. "I don't know… You weren't scared by the melding, were you?"

Kaoru's smile could have lit a thousand candles. "I'd never be scared by you, Kenshin. I love you!"

What seemed like long time, an eternity – probably about ten seconds – passed.

"Really?" A masculine whisper.

"Yes." A feminine reply.

Kaoru leaned forwards, and, almost as if to prove it, kissed him lightly. As she broke away from him, Kenshin gently took her right hand in his.

An infinity and an infinitesimal amount of time passed, as they smiled into the other's eyes.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Yes, Sano's quote about love and selfishness is stolen directly from the manga. Sorry, Watsuki-sama! Sessha _loves_ that quote!

Aaahh, utter cheesiness and merangue at the end... forgive me, people!

Yes, I know that Shishio doesn't have fangs, but it sounded better than 'teeth'!

**Review Replies:** Thanks to all my reviewers.

half-breed-demon-fox – I know… more cliffies… mean, aren't we? Glad you like the battle scene.

Big-Purple-Lizard (for TRA13 review) – Half-naked Himura is ALWAYS good… /drools/ Mushiness is sometimes essential, ne? I can't write anything remotely romantic without it appearing, somehow… oh well. If you like it…

thechickenlittle2000 – I'm so happy that someone finally commented on that, and that you think I did a good job! /looks at next section of review/ Are you suicidal?! You're so lucky that he's off fighting the writer's block…

(Battousai: /pauses in fighting/ Who's suicidal?

Nix: No-one, no-one… never mind… /closes review window hurriedly/

Battousai: /sneaks up behind Nix, whispers in her ear/ You know I'll get it out of you… somehow…

Nix: You wouldn't…

Battousai: /evil grin/

---CENSORED---

/Nix returns to computer, hair mussed up/ Ah, it's not a good idea to annoy my Muse. I don't suggest you try it.

inuyasha/kenshin gurl - /shivers in (fake) fear/ Hehe, never you worry, there's no way I could _not_ update… /eyes Writer's Block and Battousai fighting/ Battousai's holding the writer's block off well.

Dagorwen of Ithilien – No evil cliffhanger this time… But did you like the way that one ended?

kenshinlover2002 (for TRA13 review) – Love breaks all boundaries… including the ones of plausibility… they were looking for her, though (or didn't you notice the bit at the end of the scene?), so that was how they found her. And do remember, 'Kenshin' is Rurouni _and_ Battousai – Rurouni's not the whole Kenshin… it gets confusing, yeah, but I like to think of it that way.

kenshinlover2002 (for TRA14 review) – Of course Shishio had Kaoru as his target. He's evil that way… Did you like the way she was able to deflect it, not dodge? I put that in to emphasise her familiarity with weapons, etc. – she is definitely a fighter, though!

sprinkles73 – Thanks, and you're welcome!

RangerDo'Urden – Remember, in the anime/manga, Battousai was sitting there all the time – Kenshin just didn't let him out. As for them being in harmony, remember that they were once one person, so it's entirely possible for them to be working together.

Crewel – I do update about every five days (if I can), so yes, it's quite soon! Unfortunately, this is a KxK fic, so while I write in some SxM, it's mainly KxK. That said, there is some more here…

anime-luney – Like twins? This is the _same guy_ we're talking about here… and when they were finishing each other's sentences, it was because they were in harmony, melded into one complete Kenshin… the different voice tones were the two sides of his personality combined.

DakBug – Of course I had to finish there… nothing like a cliffhanger to keep the readers reading… /grin/ Can't wait, huh? Oh well… patience is a virtue… /evil grin/

Peachie-Chan – Never mind about not reviewing… vacation's probably more important /laugh/. Life's not fair… yep. Especially when it comes to fanfiction. And yes, I expect your reviews!


	16. Revealing Blade

**To Reveal All**

**Chapter 16: Revealing Blade**

**By steelphoenix**

* * *

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Rurouni Kenshin, or any of its characters.

**Author's Notes:** Whoa! The chapter's out on time for once! Battousai managed to beat the Writer's Block!

(Battousai: It was easy.

Nix: /eyebrows raised, sarcastic/ Yep. Ab-so-_lute_-ly.

Battousai: Well, maybe not _easy_, but I did it!

Nix: /eyebrows threaten to disappear into hairline/

Battousai: Okay, okay, it was difficult, but… Hey! Why're you threatening me? I'm the invincible assassin!

Nix: /realises it's a bad idea to be around/ Yes, that you are…

Battousai: /evil grin/

Nix: /runs/)

I dunno why I put that bit in… Battousai writing for me, again, I think…

(Battousai: HEY! _You_ wrote it!)

Okay, I have… odd… moments occasionally… That was one of them. There's little enough humour in this chapter, that's my humour writing for the week…

It's necessary to include the last bit of the last scene, because originally, the first two paragraphs of this chapter were going to be the last two paragraphs of the last chapter… but then I decided that you had suffered enough from my cliffhangers, and so they became the first paragraphs of this chapter.

Also, a note about the 'chi well' in the last chapter: it is purely of my own invention.

**Language Notes: **None. (Weird!)

**Warnings:**PG-13 for violence and sexual situations/scenes. No language warnings.

* * *

Kaoru's smile could have lit a thousand candles. "I'd never be scared by you, Kenshin. I love you!"

What seemed like long time, an eternity – probably about ten seconds – passed.

"Really?" A masculine whisper.

"Yes." A feminine reply.

Kaoru leaned forwards, and, almost as if to prove it, kissed him lightly. As she broke away from him, Kenshin gently took her right hand in his.

An infinity and an infinitesimal amount of time passed, as they smiled into the other's eyes.

---

A clank on the pavings broke their reverie, and as they looked around, they saw a katana resting point downwards beside them. As their eyes travelled up the slightly-curved blade, they met a black glove and a bandaged arm.

Shishio stood over them, sword outstretched. "So, you love each other… how sweet. You can die together."

His sword swept through the space where they had been, but he had reckoned without the godlike speed of the Hiten Mitsurugi Style. In the instant that the bandaged man had swung, Kenshin had grabbed Kaoru, and leapt upwards, just in time to avoid the blade.

It barely missed Kenshin's feet, and he landed with a stagger, barely managing to keep his feet. Kaoru grounded her feet, and turned to him in concern. The pain in his shoulders throbbed incessantly, exacerbated by the effort – brief though it was – to lift Kaoru in their jump. He hunched over, clinging to Kaoru's hand desperately.

_I'm not going **to do that again** for a while… **I'm too badly** wounded…_

The serrated blade stabbed down between the two of them, attempting to wound them both, but both Kenshin and Kaoru managed to get out of the way - Kenshin through his speed, and Kaoru, from anticipating Shishio's move.

But their hands had been split up.

---

Sano watched in horror as Shishio kept randomly lashing out at the couple. The long katana swished with deadly intent, and they both could see that Kenshin was tiring, slowed by his wounds, and Kaoru, though speedy, was not able to match Shishio's lightning-fast movements.

"Breaking his collarbone only made him angrier," stated Sano, half to himself, half to Megumi.

"Lift me up, Sano…" Megumi asked, quietly. "I can't see what's… happening to Kaoru, down here."

"But it'll hurt you!" Sano's attention was immediately given completely to Megumi.

Megumi grimaced. "I'll be fine… I just have to see…" _if she's okay,_ she finished in her thoughts.

As gently as he could, the fighter lifted Megumi from the pavement. He saw the clenching of her teeth as she battled the pain of her movement. The deepness of the wound meant that every movement she made was agony.

_But if it hurts this much for me, what about Kenshin…?_ The suffering the redhead must be going through with three wounds, each just as painful – if not more so – than hers, made her gasp.

Sano halted his raising of her as he heard the gasp. Worry filled him as he questioned her. "Megumi? Are you alright? Megumi?"

A brief tear slipped down Megumi's cheek. To think that the small fighter would be able to endure so much… "If it's this painful… for me, how bad… must it be for Kenshin?"

Sano's brow knotted at her words. He knew the pain Kenshin was going through – as a fighter-for-hire, he'd been badly wounded many times – but equally, he knew that Kenshin had a strong enough will to banish the pain, and fight on regardless. _How do I tell Megumi that?_

"It hurts, yeah… but Kenshin's strong. He can… well… ignore the pain." Sano grimaced at the vagueness of his explanation.

Apparently Megumi knew what he meant. She nodded, then commanded, "Lift me up, Sano."

The rooster-headed man finished the movement, and settled her against his chest. Then his eyes returned to the battle, and he urged on the two who were fighting Shishio. "Come on, missy… Kenshin… You can win…"

---

With each lunge of Shishio's sword, Misao was willing it to miss. She'd never seen these people before today, but the strength of their love was enough to endear them to her. She'd been thrilled when Battousai woke up, but now that they were fighting – or rather, running – for their lives, Misao was slightly disappointed.

_Battousai's supposed to be a legendary warrior,_ her puzzled thoughts said. _How come he isn't beating Shishio? And why did he drop his sword? But he was getting kissed by that girl… Kaoru? Is that her name? I suppose I'd drop my kunais if Aoshi-sama kissed me…_

She glanced up at Aoshi, and saw that his eyes were fixed on the fight. _Aoshi-sama's all expressionless again… this is bad._ She knew that once Aoshi became expressionless, he was hard to reach – he was blocking himself off from the world.

"Aoshi-sama?" she pulled at his sleeve, willing him not to ignore her… trying to stop himself from cutting himself off.

The tall Okashira glanced down at her, and she was relieved at the small smile that manifested itself. "Misao? What is it?"

She blushed. "You were… going all… blank-faced again…"

"I'm sorry, Misao. I do that when I concentrate." _She's worried by that? About me?_ A minute smile stuck to his lips. "Don't worry."

The smile remained even as he watched, and analysed, the fight.

_She dropped her katana when she went to him, and he dropped the sakabato when he held her hand… And now they're both weaponless… against Shishio. This is bad._

---

_**DAMN!** I shouldn't have **dropped the sakabato!**_ Kenshin yelled at himself in his mind. **_But it _was**_ because Kaoru kissed me…_

Watching the woman in question, he saw that she had just dodged another of Shishio's attacks. She was fast, nimble, and lithe, avoiding attacks that should have skewered her.

_She's a much **better fighter than** I gave her **credit** for earlier… She could **hold her own,** if she still **had the katana…**_

That only reminded him of his weaponlessness, and his utter inability to do anything for her right now.

_**I can't** protect her…! Though she **can protect herself**… very well._

Kaoru's next dodge was even closer than the previous one. She was doing exactly as Kenshin would have, using minimal energy to maximum effect. _A true swordsman's** – swords**_**woman_'s – trait,_** he noted.

As Shishio missed the lunge at Kaoru, he spun around so it followed through and was aimed at Kenshin, enraged enough that he would attempt to use the same strike to kill both of them.

The godlike speed of Hiten Mitsurugi was again put to the test, and he dodged the attack with a bare fingerlength spare.

_That is **the essence of** Hiten Mitsurugi – dodge **their attacks by** a hair, aim **your attacks by** a hair, speeding like the **kami to deliver** justice._ The teachings of his Master, Seijurou Hiko, slipped into Kenshin's mind as he applied them in this desperate battle.

---

Shishio swept past Kenshin, turning as he did.

Halting, he extended his katana outwards and downwards in the now-familiar pose that announced the Homuradama.

Kenshin gave him a one-sided smile. "And you accuse me… of having only… one trick, Shishio?"

Kaoru, who was moving towards the two, stopped, listening to the tones in Kenshin's voice. The halting quality of his speech was not lost on her. _His wounds are starting to get to him…_ she knew that with Kenshin panting like he was, he wouldn't last long.

Shishio snarled, and the katana scraped across the ground, igniting. Kaoru's eyes went wide. She had noticed that the Leader's blade had flickers of flame across it when she had entered the courtyard, but she had been too preoccupied with reviving Kenshin to notice that they were actual flames, not mere reflections of the torchlight, as she had previously thought. Even when the katana had hit Megumi, she had not realised.

_I should have… but… how does he…?_ Her question was cut off even in her thoughts as the flaming blade was stabbed at Kenshin. Her gasp at the closeness of Kenshin's evasion was loud in the silence of the courtyard. All were entranced by this epic battle, unable to move in their places.

Even Kaoru, a combatant in this fight, seemed to be frozen.

But she wasn't. Her mind was working furiously, though her body appeared to be motionless.

_What can I do? _

Her brain feverishly generated and discarded ideas, the facts pulled in and pooled rapidly.

_I _must_ help Kenshin! He could be wounded _again

Shishio lunged at Kenshin again, and the flaming katana was again dangerously close to Kenshin's jugular vein.

_There's nothing…_

Then she caught sight of the fallen katana and sakabato. The two swords were lying on the pavings, side-by-side, where she and Kenshin had dropped them.

_OF COURSE!_ Her mind yelled in elation. Why hadn't she thought of it sooner…?

_I just have to wait for the opportune moment…_

Another strike from Shishio, and this time he dove right past Kenshin. The redhead moved with his customary – though now slowed – godlike speed, and was at the other side of the circle of faces by the time Shishio had turned.

_It's almost as if he read my mind…_ thought Kaoru, but didn't stop to bless the Kami of Fortune. She threw herself into the centre of the circle, barely pausing in her run, even when she saw Shishio turning away from Kenshin towards her.

Her pace slowed momentarily as her hand reached down, scooping up the nearest sword, but as she fastened her hand around the hilt, her waraji slipped on blood-slicked stones.

_THUD!_

She hit the ground hard, her forehead coming into contact with a solid object for the second time that night. However, this time, she'd been able to slow her fall somewhat, and only stars danced in her eyes, not the full-blown fireworks induced by the tree root.

_I've got to move… Shishio…_

The Leader of the Kokuryukai saw a blur of blue material as the geisha had impulsively flung herself across the courtyard. Turning to follow her flight, he judged that she would be too fast to let him get near her – at least, before she regained a sword.

Then her foot slipped, and he saw his chance. _I can get her now!_

He lunged forwards.

---

Kenshin saw Kaoru's run, and subsequent fall. The deep thud as her body hit the stones prompted a shiver through his whole body. He had noticed the growing bruise on her forehead, and while he didn't know what had caused it, he did know that being hit in the head twice in one night wasn't good for _anyone_, least of all his Kaoru.

Then, as she struggled to rise, he saw the grin on Shishio's face at her prone position. Kenshin had a brief moment to think, _He's going to do something to Kaoru_, when the Leader of the Kokuryukai dove forwards.

Horror filled him as he realised that Shishio was going to be able to catch her while she was still on the ground.

_**She won't be** able to do anything…_

_She might not be able **to raise the katana in time…** No, she definitely **won't be** able to…_

_But I MUST **PROTECT HER!**_

_**There's only one** thing I can do… repeat **what happened earlier…**_

---

"Hahahahaaaaah!" An exultant laugh filled Shishio's mouth as he sprinted for his target – once again, Kaoru.

_I finally have her!_ The Leader knew that he had the girl where he wanted her to be – stunned, prone, and utterly unable to do anything.

_There's no way she can do anything, and Battousai will be frozen again, like he was when I threw the dagger at her! He can do nothing!_

And if he killed the girl, Battousai would be totally vulnerable. He would be the perfect target.

_I can kill her! I've won!_

---

Kaoru looked up from the pavement, stars and fireflies flickering in her eyes. The ache in her head from her encounter with the tree root had escalated to a full, thumping headache, and her mind was clouded.

But she still remembered the danger she was in.

_Shishio… I have to move…_

She rolled over on to her back – _quickly, now… hurry up, body!_ – and put her hands down to lift herself into a sitting position. The swordhilt made using her right hand difficult, but she managed to climb to her knees.

Then Shishio was upon her.

---

"KAORUUUUUU!!!!"

---

Hiten Mitsurugi's godlike speed allowed Kenshin to get to Kaoru before Shishio.

But only a moment before.

Kenshin did not have time to do as he planned, scoop Kaoru up into his arms.

---

_I won't have **time! I can't** lift her!_

_Change **of plan.**_

---

A hand to Kaoru's shoulder.

Push.

Turn towards Shishio.

Block.

---

A splatter of bright blood hit the dark stones. Three sakura petals floated to rest.

White on red on black.

---

Kaoru tumbled over, shoved away by Kenshin's hand. Lying on the ground for a second, she shook her head, and looked up at where she expected Shishio to be.

He was there.

Kenshin was there also.

Shishio's blade had taken him through his right side, just at the waistline. A spray of blood painted random gruesome patterns across his stomach, and a trail of blood began to slip downwards from the wound, thickening with each second.

---

"KENSHIIIIIIN!!!!"

---

_He sacrificed himself for me! Kenshin…!_

_This is Shishio's fault…_

_Shishio… you will pay…_

---

Determination, anger, resolution, impulse, all mixed in Kaoru's mind.

She gathered her legs beneath her, and lunged at the two motionless figures.

Her blade, keen and swift as winter wind, passed neatly between the fifth and sixth rib on his left side, and nicked the muscular tissue of Shishio's heart.

He convulsed, once, briefly.

Horrified at what she had done, Kaoru let go of her blade's hilt, and with an awful rush, he fell backwards.

Even in dying, he refused to let go of his sword, and it was jerked out of Kenshin's side. The redhead fell to his knees, clutching the agonizing wound.

Silence reigned.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Whew. That was exhausting, and emotional, to write. So no Author's Notes.

That's almost it. There's a couple more chapters to go, though.

**Review Replies:** Thanks to all my reviewers.

Videl621 (for TRA4 review) – /bows/ You're welcome! I wonder if you'll be up to continue reading, if you crash at 2:30 a.m…

Lydia-Blessing – Thanks. The bit with Kenshin was one of the hardest to write, but I'm glad you liked it!

Big-Purple-Lizard – Yeah, the 'battle of wills' is something we've all experienced… but I didn't really think of that when I was writing it /sweatdrops/, just how to portray the clash between Battousai and Rurouni. As for who'll win… I can't tell you that, that would be giving away the plot…

Crewel – Updating soon isn't my be-all and end-all, but I do like doing it. As for SxM fiction… I dunno. I've been having ideas (which you may or may not like), but I'll finish TRA first…

inuyasha/kenshin gurl – Yay! I _like_ people saying my writing is kawai'i!

anime-luney – Ah, right! You were getting me a bit confused there, saying the were like twins! Don't worry about being lazy… sessha is lazy too… and really surprised that she manages to get chapters out on time…

(Battousai: /coughs/)

…or maybe not… Battousai's a good Muse.

(Battousai: /Soujirou-type smile/ Thanks. Glad you give credit where it's due.

Nix: Don't do that smile… it's creepy!)

RangerDo'Urden – I hope this answers your question of what Shishio's going to do… Glad you liked the quote, and the 'chewing' bit. I was kinda grossed out, when I was writing it.

HiEi JaGaNsHis FlAmE – Kenshin had already admitted his feelings, remember? Hope you liked the chapter!

Bradybunch4529 – Kaoru _has_ to defend herself! She's the type of girl who shouldn't be all weak and powerless… I really hate that, because, like you said, she has such a strong hold on both Battousai and Rurouni… she wouldn't if she were weak!

kenshinlover2002 – I had to have Kaoru blocking the knife, it shows more of her fighting skills, and I like her as a fighter. As for Shishio's bite, I'm glad I took someone by surprise there, like I intended!

Videl621 (for TRA15 review) – Thanks very much!

nikki – Thanks! I'm glad you like the plot twists, I was trying to make it twisted – not that it turned out as warped as I'd have liked… Thanks again, and enjoy the update!

thechickenlittle2000 – As I said at the top, the 'chi well' is of my own invention. Permission granted to use it – just do say that you borrowed the concept off me! I'm so glad it inspired you, though! Battousai's doing well, isn't he? /pats aforementioned Muse on head/

(Battousai: /pulls katana out, rests it against Nix's throat/)

…ah, won't be doing that again. Onto other topics… Rurouni's smile… aaahh. Indeed. Who couldn't get lost in it? /hugs aforementioned almost-Muse/

(Rurouni: /gives that gorgeous smile, hugs back/

Battousai: /gags/)

Nanakiyoda – I'm getting the hang of writing battle sequences now – I'm glad you liked them!

DakBug – You're welcome, for the update! And you have a baby nephew? Aaaawww! Babies are soooo cute! But yes, they do require patience… heh. As for taking my sweet time, is five days enough to make you wait? /grins/

scythe195 – Here's the next chapter! Glad you think it's awesome! /hugs Rurouni again in happiness/

Peachie-Chan – You've been waiting for it? Not such a long wait this time… Never mind about the late review… I'm not sure you'll like think chapter, though… no ass-kicking by Kenshin… meh. I hope you liked it anyway.


	17. Revealing Hands

**To Reveal All**

**Chapter 17: Revealing Hands**

**By steelphoenix**

* * *

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Rurouni Kenshin, or any of its characters.

**Author's Notes:** Again, I'm including the end of the last chapter. I think you all know why. I hope you like this chapter, but it's kind of a wrapping-up of the last chapter, and setting up for the next – can anyone say 'filler chapter'? /grins/

**Language Notes: **None. Again. /shrugs/ Never mind.

**Warnings:** PG-13 for violence and sexual situations/scenes. No language warnings.

* * *

Determination, anger, resolution, impulse, all mixed in Kaoru's mind.

She gathered her legs beneath her, and lunged at the two motionless figures.

Her blade, keen and swift as winter wind, passed neatly between the fifth and sixth rib on his left side, and nicked the muscular tissue of Shishio's heart.

He convulsed, once, briefly.

Horrified at what she had done, Kaoru let go of her blade's hilt, and with an awful rush, he fell backwards.

Even in dying, he refused to let go of his sword, and it was jerked out of Kenshin's side. The redhead fell to his knees, clutching the agonizing wound.

Silence reigned.

---

The first to break the awful hush was Yumi.

"SHISHIOOOOOO!!!!"

From where she had retreated after Shishio threw her dagger, she could see the whole tableau perfectly. Shishio stretched, full-length, on the ground, Battousai kneeling, hunched in pain, and the girl frozen in her stance.

_Shishio's dead!_

Uncaring that it could get her killed – she would welcome death if it would let her join Shishio – she sprinted forwards to where her lord lay.

Cupping his head in her lap, she looked into his face, seeing that his eyes were still alert.

"Shishio…?" she questioned, ever-so-quietly.

"Yumi…" The bandaged man looked up at her, focussing mistily. Her pretty face was blurred against the sharp background of the night sky.

"Shishio!" At his clear response, Yumi's heart soared, and she exclaimed joyfully, "You're not badly wounded! I thought that the girl had stabbed you through the heart!"

"No, I am badly wounded… Her blade hit my heart… though not fully. The wound rips itself… with every beat. I will die."

"No…! You can't die! You're the invincible Leader of the invincible Kokuryukai! You can't lose! _You can't die!_"

Shishio lightly coughed out a single chuckle. "The Kokuryukai… won't save me… But I have lost, Yumi… My predecessor… has won… He is the greater…"

Yumi's face twisted in denial. "No! Shishio, you are the greatest! You can't die! I love you!"

"No longer… Yumi…" Shishio coughed, and blood marked the bandages around his mouth. "But, I do… love you…" The woman's gasp produced a smile on his blackened lips.

A brief cough brought a shimmering red glaze to the charcoal smile, and suddenly it twisted into a sick parody of itself. "See you… all… in Hell…"

Yumi saw the crimson eyes cloud over, and with a single sigh, the rise-and-fall of breathing ceased.

"Shishio!" She shook him, sobbing out his name, unwilling to believe that he was gone. The tears streamed down her face, soaking the now-useless bandages.

Then she saw the girl's sword, still in Shishio's chest. Almost involuntarily, her hand twitched, moving towards the blade.

_I can follow him…_

Before anyone could react, she yanked it out of the corpse, and set it against her chest, at the same point that the sword had entered her lord's body.

Her aim was better than Kaoru's.

---

The plum-haired woman fell, infinitely slowly. She came to rest with a horribly meaty thud, on her back, Shishio's head still in her lap.

The impact on the stones jolted the sword loose from its gruesome sheath, and it tumbled to the pavement, spinning to rest in front of Kaoru.

Her mind dully processed the shape of the blade she saw before her. _It's the katana_, her mind said after a while.

_But then, what else could have killed, even when I didn't truly aim it?_

_This blade has too much blood on it… three more lives claimed by it tonight…_

_One by my hands…_

The young woman, sapphire eyes dimmed by unconscious tears, reached out, and touched the hilt for a brief moment.

_By my hands… Two people, dead, their deaths caused by me…_

The unconscious tears were let go, and the bitter regret spilled out in saline streams.

---

_**Kaoru is **weeping… she must** not weep…**_

_She weeps from **regret. From the fact** that she was **forced to kill.**_

Kenshin lifted his head carefully. Red strings of hair, damp with sweat, swished into his eyes. Before him, he saw the outstretched corpse of Shishio, Yumi's crumpled form beside it. Cautiously turning his head to the right slightly, he saw Kaoru.

She was kneeling, hunched over, curled tight into a foetal position. Her glorious raven hair trailed out on the bloodstained stones, and pale hands covered the silken mass, trying to ward off the blows of her conscience.

_Kaoru must **not cry…**_

_**She is not **a woman who** should **_**have**_to cry…_

"…Kaoru…" He had to concentrate to generate a sound, and even the final output was weak and wavering.

But she heard. The wrenching sobs abruptly halted, and she spun, brilliant eyes awash and still disbelieving. Kenshin vaguely saw Megumi hurrying up behind her. Sano followed, limping.

_**She'll be safe.** She can protect **herself… and our** friends will help her._

Relief filled his body, but he knew there was something that had been left unsaid. It took all his effort, but Kenshin knew he had to say it. "Kaoru… don't cry… love you…"

"KENSHIN!" Her cry barely reached him as the darkness he had been fighting took over. He sank into oblivion, his spirit – spirits – striving to the last to remain with her, remain conscious.

---

The final tableau had frozen all the spectators into an unresponsive mass. Shishio's last words had produced gasps and curses, but only Yumi's death had seemed to fully thaw the crowd.

Now, as Kenshin teetered on the edge of consciousness, all hell broke loose. The Kokuryukai broke apart, some running for the gate, others for the House, still others not knowing what they should do, and simply milling, confused.

But none went near the bodies.

For a shocked moment, Sano watched the crowds washing around Kenshin and Kaoru, as the raven-haired woman crawled over to kneel beside Kenshin's limp form. Then thoughts returned to his mind, and he realised that he had to help Kenshin. Glancing down at Megumi, who he was still supporting, he asked, "I'm going to help Kenshin… that okay with you?"

"Of course. He's more in need of help than me," replied Megumi. "But first, help me up." The fox-woman leant forwards, taking her weight on her uninjured left arm and shoulder. With a brief struggle, she stood up, and began to make her way over to the fallen pair. Sano also forced himself up, with considerably more trouble, the doubly-wounded left leg stinging.

Megumi's mind was already concentrating on the wounds Kenshin had received, and was trying desperately to remember what she had been taught, and just how to treat deep wounds.

_First you must block the wound… no, lie the patient down, then put pressure on the wound… bandages next – oh no, the medicine chest!_ She turned to look for it, but as she did, Aoshi materialised out of the confused mass of Kokuryukai, carrying the big wooden box. He nodded towards the now-fallen Kenshin, and Megumi followed his lead, making her way over to kneel near the redhead.

Aoshi knelt beside her, and as she reached for the medicine chest, he halted her hands. "You must be treated before you can treat him. Misao will bind your wound. I shall begin aiding Himura." His voice was matter-of-fact and quiet.

Megumi looked up at him, to protest that Kenshin was more severely wounded, but Aoshi had already moved over to where the small man lay, opposite Kaoru. Quickly pulling off his pale trenchcoat, and rolling up his sleeves, he set to work. A quick check of the redhead's pulse confirmed that he was alive, though its rapidity and weakness emphasised the blood loss the man had suffered. Opening the medicine chest, he pulled out rags, and with the ease of one had done it many times before, began swabbing the recent, deep wound in Kenshin's stomach.

Kaoru made no move to either stop or help the ninja.

As the fox-woman watched, Misao came up beside her. "Don't worry," her quick, cheerful voice reassured. "Aoshi-sama knows how to treat battle wounds well." Small hands eased the kimono off Megumi's wounded shoulder, causing the taller woman to grit her teeth at the new agony of the wound being moved. A small, comforting murmur of reassurance reached Megumi's ears as Misao's capable hands swabbed and then wrapped the wound.

---

Sano eventually made it to the group, and decided that since Kaoru had no company, he may as well check she was all right. He lowered himself to the ground, wincing as he did. Leaning over to Kaoru, he tapped her on the shoulder.

"Hey, missy? You all right?" he asked, jokingly. He knew she was alright, he just had to make sure. He waited a little, but there was no response to his question.

_Just try again. She must be really distracted!_ "Hey, missy? You all right?" He grinned. She'd turn around in a second, scared as all hell, and thwack him one for startling her.

_Just a second… come on, Missy…_

There was no response. Kaoru remained kneeling beside Kenshin, no movements, just glassily staring at Aoshi's hands, as he worked on Kenshin's wounds. Now the rooster-headed fighter was beginning to feel frightened. Kaoru never spaced out like this…

"Missy? Hey! Missy! Kaoru!" Increasingly worried, Sano spun the young woman towards him, and shook her. Hard. Ponderously, her head lifted, and Sano felt the crystal stare on his face.

It was like staring into a looking-glass. There was little more than a reflection, and for the brief moment that she held his eyes, Sano could see no sign of life. Then her head turned, and fixed back on the deep wound in Kenshin's side.

Shocked, Sano let go of her shoulders. _What the HELL?!_

Then his gaze darted to Megumi. Misao was had fastened the last bandage, and she was slipping her kimono sleeve back over her shoulder. She looked up as his desperate call of her name reached her.

"It's Kaoru… she's… she's… I dunno, she needs help!" Sano struggled to express what was wrong with the young woman, but eventually just gave up. Megumi's confusion quickly gave way to concern for her 'younger sister', and she shuffled around Kenshin's feet, coming to where the stricken woman knelt.

Sano backed away carefully, giving Megumi room to move. The fox-woman quickly felt the Kaoru's forehead, then touched the pulse in her neck, and placed a hand on the woman's chest for a while.

Turning back to Sano, she said uncertainly, "I think it's shock… her skin's all cold and clammy, her pulse is fast, and her breathing's shallow and rapid. If it's shock, then I have to get her to lie down. Help me."

Quickly loosening Kaoru's obi, Megumi directed the fighter to hold Kaoru around the shoulders, then lower her down. Sano, slightly bemused, followed her instructions, and he carefully laid the unresponsive woman down by Kenshin.

Then, as if testing, Megumi shook Kaoru with her uninjured hand. When no response was elicited, in a movement quite unexpected she lifted the hand slightly, and with a ringing _slap!_, brought it down on the unresponsive cheek.

"Kaoru! Wake up, this instant! You're needed here, and we can't have you off dreaming when Kenshin's injured, and needs you! You wake up, _NOW!_" Megumi's voice was sharp with rebuke and disappointment.

It apparently worked. Kaoru shot up from the ground like a scalded cat, her eyes wide and startled. Then she saw Megumi, and, without an instant's pause, dove into the comfort of her 'older sister's arms.

Megumi gave a brief '_oof!_' of pain – Kaoru had jolted her shoulder. But then, as she saw and heard the younger woman's tears begin to fall again, her face took on softer lines, and she hugged her.

---

As Aoshi worked on the Kenshin's wounds, Misao came up beside him, and placed a bundle of brilliant orange strips on the ground beside him. "We'll need more bandages, with his wounds being as bad as they are."

A nod was his only answer, and his eyes were focussed on his hands as they strapped a pad of linen to the deep thrust-wound. Understanding his deep concentration, Misao picked up a rag, poured a little alcohol on it, and began cleaning the mark of the Guren-Kaina.

The two ninja worked in silent harmony, each knowing what to do instinctively. Their hands wove a pattern of healing over the unconscious samurai, and they easily anticipated each other's movements. Aoshi's quiet strength, and Misao's quick and precise work fitted together well, willingly aiding Kenshin as he had aided them.

The messy laceration which was the mark of Shishio's teeth was easily the most complicated of Kenshin's wounds. The ragged edges of the wound would not come together, a problem which was exacerbated by the fact that Shishio had, in fact, chewed off some the flesh. Misao was the first to realise this, and she silently pointed to the gap between two chunks of tissue. Aoshi's eyebrows rose in surprise, but then he recovered, and directed her to hold the lips of the wound together. Thin strips of gummed linen closed the injury, and some of Yumi's orange bandages held it all together.

---

Kaoru knelt beside the unconscious form of Kenshin, holding her 'older sister' like there was no way she was going to let go. Her cheek stung as she pressed it into Megumi's shoulder, but she was infinitely grateful for its smarting reminder. Megumi had startled her out of a dream, a horrible nightmare that was still residing darkly in the back of her mind.

_She had been wandering the streets of Tokyo, going nowhere in particular. As she walked, the people who saw her turned away. Fear was evident in their movements, and they covered their faces with their hands, preventing her gaze from touching theirs._

_And if someone's eyes met hers, there was an instant where nothing moved. Then, with a swish of metal through air, their head was removed by an invisible blade, or a burst of blood appeared on their chest, stabbed through the heart._

_Finally she made it to the dojo, and opened the shoji, to the sight of her friends and her brother, sitting down, eating their dinner._

_Her gaze swept the room, and with every pair of eyes she met, a head fell or a chest was skewered. Blood coated the floor and walls._

_Then the shoji into the kitchen opened, and Kenshin entered. His expression became disbelieving as he took in the carnage._

_His eyes met Kaoru's for a long moment…_

Kaoru burrowed her head further into Megumi's support, trying to rid herself of the image of the invisible blade taking Kenshin in the chest.

_I am a murderer…_

_No, it was for Yahiko first, and then Kenshin… I used the blade to protect…_

_But it's still murder…_

_I said I'd do it again if I had to…_

_Kenshin's death, or Shishio's? That was my choice… I chose Kenshin…_

_I would still make that choice again, despite this awful guilt…_

Brokenly, she whispered against Megumi's shoulder, "Kenshin… Battousai… I know how you felt…"

* * *

**Author's Notes:** When Megumi said that Kaoru was in shock she was correct. The symptoms described here are characteristic of shock. While she did the right thing in loosening the obi and lying her down, it's definitely _not_ a good idea to slap someone who's in shock!

Okay, guys, sorry about the short chapter, but I'm doing Summer School, so I have a lot on my plate with that and work as well. Also, the next chapter will be out a little late. I've got to go away to Uni for a test, so I won't be posting the next chapter for a week, most likely. Gomen nasai, but that's the way life is…

If you can't figure why I called this chapter 'Revealing Hands', go back and count the number of times I mentioned 'hands'…

**Review Replies:** Thanks to all my reviewers.

inuyasha/kenshin gurl - Thanks! And yep, I love a kick-ass Kaoru! She's great like that! But you're going to be all disappointed with me for this chapter...

anime-luney - Yep. /sighs/ I confess. I am far too lazy for my own good, except when it's something important (i.e. Summer School), or something I really like (i.e. TRA). Much goodness? Yay! Like always? YAY! Thanks very much!

thefutureMrs.Kaiba - Arigato gozaimashita. (Thanks very much.)

Estel-Elf-Lover (for TRA1 review) - Thanks!

scythe195 - I'm so glad you like it! Is this posted soon enough for you?

Dakota - This chapter was shorter than you would have liked? Ummm... that wasthe longest chapter of TRA... Oh well. I suppose it's just that you feel that battle sequences go by fast. I do, especially when I'm writing them!

RangerDo'Urden - I'm glad that you picked up that I stole that from the anime... I was trying to go for the 'similar-yet-different' feel to the fight. I had to model it off that fight, because that's the only fight Shishio has... limiting, but interesting to write. The bite to Kenshin's shoulder, and the Guren-Kaina, were also taken from there. As for where I got the idea for Kaoru as a geisha... ummm... it's called reading too many books about Japan in one weekend. And then getting your facts wrong /gulp/. But now that I look at the third manga cover, I see what you mean.

Lydia-Blessing - Cliffhanger? No, that's not a cliffhanger... that's an interesting end to a chapter.

(Battousai: No, that's a cliffhanger.

Nix: It isn't! I wanted to end it dramatically, but not suspend everyone waiting for something...

Battousai: It was still a cliffhanger.)

...whatever... I admit, I like cliffhangers. Both reading and writing them. As for Shishio's death... I think that's answered above /points at appropriate paragraph/.

Videl621 - /looks at clock/ 4:15 a.m? Whoa. I'm only ever up that late/early if I'm working night duty... you're either lucky, or weird - no offense or anything! But as for Kaoru delivering the final blow... I felt that Kaoru needed to be involved in the final fight, which then evolved to Kaoru fighting Shishio, which then became Kenshin sacrificing himself and Kaoru delivering the final blow. It just happened... Battousai writing for me, again.

(Battousai: I am very happy to claim that I inspired that piece of twistedness.

Nix: Hmph. You _always_ give me twisted ideas.

Battousai: I'm your Muse! I'm _supposed_ to do that!

Nix: /glares/ But not fifteen at once!

Battousai: Why not? And it was only seven...)

...whatever... As for Aoshi and Misao jumping in on the fight, no, it just didn't seem right. They're not as important in this story as Kenshin and Kaoru, more supporting roles than anything.

Crewel - /grins/ Yep, interesting SxM story in the works. I hope you enjoy TRA as well. More SxM coming up!

Big-Purple-Lizard - I know I needed a rest after writing it... I'm sure you need a rest after reading it! Yep, definately 'Poor Kaoru'. You can see the effect on her in this chapter. As for getting her own Battousai? Hmmm... interesting idea. I'll see about it.

thechickenlittle2000 - Glad you liked it! As for the 'chi well' idea, I'm sure you will do it justice! It was just something that appeared as I wrote the chapter, so you're welcome to it! Battousai's very flattered with the compliment, BTW.

(Battousai: /self-satisfied grin/)

But don't let him get too big-headed. He's hard enough to deal with already.

(Battousai: What?! BIG-HEADED?! ME?!

Nix: Yep. /runs/)

Peachie-Chan - Better than you expected? I'm flattered. Arigato.

Estel-Elf-Lover (for TRA16 review) - You have no idea what suspense is... hehe. But don't worry, I update quite fast.

Bradybunch4529 -Perfect? Breathtaking? /starts to float off on Cloud Nine/

Battousai: /drags Nixback to Earth, points her in the direction of her computer/

Arigato. Arigato gozimashita. That's all I can really say. I hope you like this chapter.

hIgHoNsUgAr!!! - How high? /grins/ Yep, I've read Memoirs Of A Geisha... great book, pity I didn't read it before starting this fic... /sighs/.

Amanda - Thanks! It's updated. Enjoy!

froggi3 - Glad you like the battle scenes! Kill off Kenshin? /faints/

(Battousai: /catches Nix, hands her to Rurouni/

Rurouni: /cradling Nix's unconscious form/ You can't kill them, Battousai, that you cannot.

Battousai: No, but I can sure as hell try!

Nix: /wakes up/ Battousai, don't kill them! Please!

Battousai: /to froggi3, _extremely_ menacingly/ You even _think_ that, and you're dead. You would be now, but I'd be out of a job if I disobeyed Nix...)

As for ending up with KxK together? Well, that would be giving away the plot! /evil grin/ And no, you don't sound harsh. Don't worry.


	18. Revealing Return

**To Reveal All**

**Chapter 18: Revealing Return**

**By steelphoenix**

* * *

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Rurouni Kenshin, or any of its characters. 

**Author's Notes:** Sooooo… it's late. But I told you to expect it to be. I'm sorry, but Summer School does rather get in the way of writing sometimes. I do my best, but I had to go away for a while, for tests and such. Sorry 'bout that.

Anyway, regards the chapter, the pace of the fic is slowing down. There won't be much more to it – I just have to wrap up a few loose ends. Sorry to those of you who wanted it to go on longer – As most of you guessed, this fic was based on the Kyoto Arc, but as I haven't actually seen the Jinchuu Arc of either the manga or the anime, so I can't do anything based on that.

Please review, and tell me if you like (or don't like) the chapter. I think you may not be entirely pleased at me for the way it's going.

**Language Notes: **'Iai' is a sword-drawing technique that is similar to Battoujutsu, but obviously without the godlike speed of Hiten Mitsurugi.

A futon is a Japanese-style bed – a mattress with a quilt, placed directly on the floor.

**Warnings:** PG-13 for violence and sexual situations/scenes. No language warnings.

* * *

The ninjas had spent around quarter of an hour simply patching up Kenshin so that he was fit to be moved from his current position. Now they drew away from where his friends hovered, concerned, over his silent form. 

Aoshi's voice was quietly grim as he addressed the small woman. "There is no possible way we can move him somewhere safe. We certainly cannot leave him in the Kokuryukai House. When the gang return, they will loot the house, and kill anyone they find."

"Yes, I know. Could we get him to her okiya?" Misao pointed to Kaoru, who still clung to Megumi.

"No." Aoshi was definite in his refusal. "The mistress would not take kindly to us, or him. His friends could direct him to his dojo, but it is likely to be too far away to get to easily, especially with their wounds."

Misao's brow crinkled in thought, and she gazed over at the group, where Kaoru had moved, and was now stroking the redhead's unconscious face. The reminder of love brought a tender smile to her face, smoothing the lines of thought. Then, recalled to her task, she glanced up at Aoshi. He was looking down at her, the faint smile on his lips.

"Aoshi-sama…" A kiss silenced her briefly, but as he moved away, she looked up at him, mock-sternly. "We're supposed to be discussing how to get Himura to a safe place, Aoshi-sama."

The faint smile remained as the tall man answered, "Yes. But I don't have any ideas, and I thought you would give me inspiration."

Misao blinked. Was Aoshi-sama actually displaying a _sense of humour?!_ What was the world coming to? _Maybe I'm imagining things… the Wheel of Fortune has some strange turns, though…_

_Wheel of Fortune…_

"Of course!" she yelled, and in her typical impulsive manner, rushed off to see if her inspiration would yield any fruit, leaving the Okashira standing confused behind her, wondering what his love had come up with now.

---

Yahiko stood at the entrance to the dojo, checking on the geishas for the hundredth time that evening. Tae moved through the room, topping up cups of fragrant tea. The first thing she had done when she arrived was to make tea, saying that it calmed the nerves and soothed worries.

Tsubame looked up as he slid the shoji to again, and as their eyes caught, both blushed a little.

Embarrassed, he prowled out across the veranda again, and back to patrol around the perimeter of the walls.

The kodachi was a guilty weight in the belt of his hakama, but he knew that he had to have it there to protect the geishas, in case the Kokuryukai had tracked them back here.

_I have to protect the geishas… after all, that was why I stayed…_

A tiny bit of his conscience tried to worm its way into the thought, saying something about Tsubame being the reason he stayed, but he squashed it.

Then, as he neared the gate again, his ears caught the rattle of someone trying to fiddle with the lock on it. A woman's voice said, "It's not that hard, Aoshi-sama, I can pick it, no problem."

A deep voice replied, with the hint of a laugh, "Yes, Misao, just get it done. We need to get this man inside as soon as possible."

Yahiko froze as he recognised the voice. He'd heard it only once, but that was a memorable enough occasion to brand it in his mind.

"_That was stupid, boy, but you don't deserve to die. Never challenge me again."_

Oh yes, that was most _definitely_ memorable enough.

_Shinomori Aoshi, Second of the Kokuryukai. I'll beat him this time, never mind what he said about challenging him…_

Yahiko slipped silently over to the gatepost, ghosting into a position that would allow him to strike without warning. As the female voice crowed, "Aha!" and the tumblers clicked over, he waited.

A quick shove of the gate opened it, and a short woman stepped through.

Yahiko's kodachi flew out of its sheath, in the form known as iai.

---

Aoshi waited as Misao twisted one of her many tools in the gate's lock. Suddenly, she exclaimed joyfully, and a click was heard. The gate was open. As she pressed her hand to the door, the Okashira sensed a presence behind the gatepost, waiting to strike.

His kodachi intercepted the one held by Yahiko an instant before it shaved Misao's braid off her head. The ninja woman had been moving fast, and now she reached into a holster at the base of her back, pulling out several kunai.

The fact that his iai had been intercepted did not deter Yahiko. He merely slid back a step and struck at the interceptor's chest.

With a swish of pale material, Aoshi slipped out of the way of the descending blade, and caught it between his palms.

For a moment Yahiko gaped at him, and the blade between his hands.

A quick yank pulled the kodachi out of Yahiko's grip, and the Okashira quickly crouched, and placed it with its twin, at his feet. Quietly, he addressed his young challenger. "Do not worry. I am here as a friend. Battousai has been badly wounded, and he needs treatment as soon as possible. That is why I am here."

Yahiko continued to stare, dumbstruck, at him.

Aoshi nodded to Misao, who had now stood up, out of her fighting crouch, kunais disappearing as quickly as they had appeared. She went over to the gate, and opened it fully.

With a clattering, a European-style carriage lumbered through the entrance, barely clearing the low threshold. Sano sat in state on the box of the carriage, directing the two horses with great care. Aoshi and Misao closed and re-locked the gate, following the carriage down towards the dojo.

The rooster-head's presence seemed to unfreeze Yahiko. Forgetting the dilemma over Shinomori, he sprinted over to the vehicle, which was now slowing to a stop outside the dojo.

As Yahiko reached the carriage, Kaoru climbed out slowly, and turned to assist Megumi, who was moving with her right arm held tight to her chest, as if it hurt to move it.

"Kaoru! Big sister! You're all right! Megumi? What's wrong with your arm?" Yahiko yelled out as he reached the two.

His big sister turned, slowly, to meet him. She reached out for him, and he rushed into her arms, as if he were seven again, not seventeen. She hugged him, close and tight, and the young man was content for a moment just to reassure himself that she was here, that she was alive, that she was uninjured.

Then the thought struck him: _was_ she uninjured? He quickly let go, and held her at arm's length, surveying her, checking that she was indeed unharmed. The close inspection turned up only a growing, purpling bruise on her forehead as the only damage. Though blood stained her face and hands, there were no wounds on her. But his scrutiny turned up other things: There were tired lines on her face that he'd never noticed before, and her eyes held a deep, cold expression that Yahiko had never seen on her face before.

A second passed as his brain started to analyse what he'd seen in Kaoru's eyes. _She's afraid_, he realised. The realisation hit him that he had never seen her so afraid, ever before.

Then he looked at the makeshift stretcher the ninja were lifting out of the carriage, and he realised why she was so scared.

---

Kenshin's body lay limp on the stretcher, the remains of his gi packed around him to keep him wedged into place. Yahiko could see the numerous bandages and thick padding, and quickly deduced that the redheaded man was badly wounded. His face and body were a paler shade than they were usually, and he moved very little, rocking only slightly with the carriage's movement.

Aoshi carefully pulled the stretcher along the floor of the carriage, easing it out. As it reached the edge, Misao grabbed the other end, and a quick beckoning from Kaoru urged them to enter the dojo.

_At least we managed to get him to a safe place. Misao's idea was nearly perfect…_ he glanced up briefly at Misao, who was concentrating on keeping Battousai's stretcher level. A brief smile flitted across his face. _Misao's got such a talent for that…_

As they crossed the dojo, taking Kenshin to be laid in the bedroom, Aoshi was grateful to the geishas who waited on the floor. They made no outcry when they saw him, but surprise was evident. _It_ is_ the second time they have seen me as a friend,_ realised the Okashira, as they moved across the polished floors smoothly. _But they obviously do not comprehend what has happened…_

A wordless transfer of a candle from Tae's hand to Kaoru's lit their steps down the long dark of the corridor, and the lamps they lit in the redhead's room served well, but the darkest shadows in the room still remained.

Not unlike their fears.

Lowering Kenshin to his futon, the two ninja slid the unconscious man off the stretcher on to its soft support. No quilt covered him yet, though. With silent efficiency, Aoshi and Megumi checked the bandages and dressings that covered Kenshin's wounds. None had come loose, and they carefully eased the bedding over him, to keep him warm.

A quick beckoning by Aoshi, and he and Misao disappeared down the corridor, leaving Kaoru and Megumi to keep vigil over the unconscious man.

---

Through the few remaining hours of the night, Kaoru remained kneeling beside Kenshin's head. Megumi had dozed off soon, and Kaoru had had to wake her and send her off to a spare futon. Kaoru remained, moving only to relieve cramp or prevent pins-and-needles in her feet and legs.

Her mind moved almost as little as her body.

_I killed twice tonight…_ was the thought that was her constant companion through the long darkness before dawn.

The scenes – the deaths – played through Kaoru's head again and again, analysing them from every possible angle.

The one hope that Kaoru still held in her mind was the stark fact that what she did was in the name of protecting her loved ones. _It _was_ in the name of protection. The ultimate protection of the ones you love is to kill for them… surely what I did was in defence of them?_

Through the hours, her mind masticated the thought constantly, and before the birds' dawn chorus began, she had come to a decision.

_What I did was in defence, and I could not avoid it._

_It was the only course of action that I could take that would protect Yahiko and Kenshin._

_I killed, yes, but it was unavoidable._

_Therefore, I am not guilty of murder._

_I acted as a swordswoman of katsujin-ken should, so I kept my honour as Master of Kamiya Kasshin. _

The fact that she had kept her honour didn't matter so much to her as the fact that she had finally sorted out what had happened, and that her mind was now in an ordered enough state to fully comprehend the actions she had taken, and the reasons she had for doing so. She had made her peace with herself.

As the first rays of gold dyed the shoji, Kaoru rose and opened the screen.

"Well, Kenshin," she said, as much to herself as the still-unconscious redhead, "It will be a beautiful day today."

A moment's silence passed as she thanked Kami-sama that she could see the gold lightening the sky. The pale pink sakura that grew by the wall turned luminous with the light rising behind them, and dew on spiders' webs decked them in crystalline necklaces. The trees turned to glowing, sparkling shapes, touched by the breath of Kami-sama.

"…And we're lucky – blessed – to be here."

A rough whisper rasped across the silence from behind her, "Yes… Kaoru… blessed."

Kaoru whirled, and she moved with almost godlike speed to Kenshin's side. His eyes sparkled up at her, more brilliant that the dew-decked webs outside, and his hair blazed against the snowy pillow.

"Truly… blessed," he repeated, a smile on his lips at the sight of her face, and then his eyes quietly closed.

---

Doctor Genzai mopped his hands against a damp cloth as he surveyed the bandaging Aoshi and Misao had placed on the thrust-wound in Kenshin's stomach. He had been rather shocked on being called to the dojo 'as soon as possible', but once he had seen Kenshin's condition, he had immediately examined him.

"You have done a good job with the superficial wounds," he said, his eyes still focussed on his patient's body. "However, this thrust-wound will have to be re-opened. There is one danger with wounds in the abdomen – the intestines or bowel can be pierced, leading to infection and death."

A tense silence greeted this pronouncement.

"You will have to operate." Aoshi's voice was quiet and definite.

The elderly doctor nodded. "And as soon as possible."

---

The room was prepared. A pot of freshly-boiled water stood a short way away from the bed, and beside it lay a cloth with various medical instruments on it, including numerous short lengths of cobweb-fine thread, and several needles.

Four people knelt around the futon, which was now stripped of its covering quilt. Kenshin lay on his back on the white mattress, looking very small.

Doctor Genzai's thoughts were on the upcoming operation, and he was hoping that luck, and the kami, would be with them, and the patient's intestines would not be too badly damaged.

Megumi concentrated on remembering everything she had learned about anatomy from the texts she had delved into from curiosity.

Aoshi's thoughts were similar to Doctor Genzai's – focussing on the operation. He had fallen into a state of almost-meditation, where his mind and thoughts were utterly absorbed with the task at hand.

Misao, crouched by the instruments, was pleading with the kami that the redhead would survive the operation, and that Kaoru might not wake up until it was done.

Kaoru had been coerced out of Kenshin's room while Doctor Genzai was examining Kenshin. Misao had practically pulled her into the kitchen, and dosed her with tea. Giving her a meal had been more interesting, but Misao had forced her to sit and eat. Halfway through her bowl of rice, the tiredness and stress had eventually caught Kaoru, and she had fallen asleep on the kitchen floor.

She had been carried to Sano's bedroom, and laid in his futon. She had slept as Misao had prepared Kenshin's room for the operation and as Doctor Genzai stitched the wounds in Megumi's shoulder and Sano's leg.

Finally, they were ready.

---

"Cloth." Misao handed it over, and Doctor Genzai swabbed at the blood welling slowly from Kenshin's abdomen.

The wound had indeed proved to be as complicated as Doctor Genzai had predicted – the intestines had been sliced in several places, but whether by luck or the blessing of Kami-sama, it had not been completely severed at any point.

Doctor Genzai had begun from the front first, sewing the torn sections back together. He had then had his three assistants turn Kenshin over, and he then worked from the back, repairing the holes as necessary.

As he swabbed the wound for the last time, he placed a linen pad across the opening, and called to Misao for bandages. Carefully wrapping them around Kenshin, he secured the wound. With that, he sat back with a satisfied smile. "Well, that is done!"

"Why didn't you stitch up the main wound?" asked Megumi, slightly puzzled at the discrepancy.

"Because, my dear," replied the doctor, "If I did, there would be no way to remove the stitches. They would rot, and there would have been no point in this whole operation." Megumi pouted slightly at his patronising reply, but she held her tongue.

"Well, we are done here. I will come back every day, and ina week'stime, he should be healed enough to let out the stitches."

---

Kaoru's eyes blinked themselves gradually open, and she sat up slowly. The light indicated that it was late afternoon. There was a funny, fuzzy feeling in her head – probably due to her low blood pressure – but as her mind cleared, she remembered.

_Hit my head… Shishio… the fight… the two Kenshins melded… Kenshin wounded…_

And she was in a futon. The last thing she remembered was a pair of chopsticks in her hands, and Misao urging her to eat.

_I must have just gone to sleep… and they put me to bed… but this is Sano's room…_

_I have to check Kenshin…_

Throwing back the futon covers, she discovered that she was still in her kimono – the blood-stained, split-skirt kimono that was patterned with dragon scales and cherry-tree leaves. For a moment she stared down at the heavy silk, memories flooding over her.

…_and Kenshin sacrificed himself for me… Kenshin!_ Her mind snapped back to her original purpose, and in a rush of loose fabric, she rose. She was out the door and down the corridor to Kenshin's room as fast as she could move.

She entered the room at full speed, but halted as she saw Sano lounging beside Kenshin's futon.

The rooster-headed man grinned up at her. "Don't worry, Missy. He'll be fine," were his first words, reassuring and affable. "The doc's operated on him, and the damage inside him's been fixed up… The doc's gonna take out the stitches in maybe a week."

"Kenshin…" Kaoru had ignored him beyond the 'He'll be fine', and she glided forwards, to kneel by Kenshin's head, as she had done through the night. The blazing hair lay rumpled on the pillow, and she smoothed it with a hand as gentle as sakura petals.

Love filled her face and voice as she looked down at him. "I won't leave you, Kenshin."

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Can anyone say 'meringue'? Aaah, so fluffy and sweet, that bit when Kenshin woke up. /sighs/ Battousai wasn't keen on writing that bit, but I did put it in. 

(Battousai: /gags, acts as if choking/ SOOOO… FLUFFY! MUST… KILL… WRITER!

Nix: /glares/

Battousai: /sane again/ That was disgustingly sweet. Don't do it again.)

Yeah right… whatever… AAAAAHHH! On my bed is a hugeungeous specimen of the most ugly member of the insect community – a weta – and it's as long as my thumb (plus antennae). Trust New Zealand to turn up something as ugly as this guy… have a look at an encyclopaedia if you don't know what a weta looks like…

(Battousai: /pokes the weta/

Nix: Don't do that, wetas –

Battousai: /jumps as the weta attaches itself to his hand by means of its huge jaws/

Nix: Wetas bite…

Battousai: AAAAHHH! /shakes hand madly/

Rurouni: /falls over laughing at his counterpart's antics/)

**Review Replies:** Thanks to all my reviewers.

Niaka1 (for TRA16 review) – Can't believe it? Well, it's there in black-and-white! But no, he won't be coming back… ever! Yay! Kenshin is injured, yes, but as to dying…? That's plot I shan't be giving away!

Peachie-Chan – Sorry… no can do… as I said, I haven't watched the Jinchuu Arc, so no evil Enishi… however, when I do, I shall make a fic about it, if my Muse can give me a little help with it. /sends pointed looks at Battousai/

(Battousai: /avoids Nix's looks, whistles/)

Never mind… all good things come to an end… /hands Peachie a Sano plushie to comfort her/

scythe195 – Okay… /hides behind Battousai, eyes fixed on katana/ I shan't run away, but neither shall I tell you whether I'm going to kill off Kenshin or not… That would be giving away the plot!

Jenny (for TRA1 review) – Thanks. What annoyed me more about the 'fangirl Japanese' was that they didn't include glossaries, so I had no idea what half the words were! That's why I included my Language Notes… so you know what I'm talking about. Alternate pairings are good, they make us think more deeply about the characters, but I personally enjoy writing the canon pairings more. I'm glad I can refresh your enjoyment in KxK!

Bradybunch4529 – Arigato very, _very_ much. It encourages me no end that you picked up on the imagery I tried to used. Sorry for not updating sooner…

Crewel – Thanks for your understanding. Definitely more SxM coming up…

Nanakiyoda – Here you are… enjoy!

kitsune – Well, here's what's next… I hope you like it!

inuyasha/kenshin gurl – There's nothing worse than being disappointed by a fic… I'd hate it if you didn't like it! Here's your update!

Videl621 – Wow… you reviewed at 5:15 _p.m?!_ What is the world coming to?! Hehe. Here's the next chapter… I'm glad you got in on this too!

Hatoriscute – Here it is… a little late, but here!

Estel-Elf-Lover – Quick doesn't seem to be on my roster right now… sorry it's late!

RangerDo'Urden – You picked the 'hands' thing? Before I explained it? I was beginning to think no-one realised! I find it annoying that Aoshi is portrayed (in fanfic) as knowing little but fighting… He's a ninja… who were used for intelligence missions. Of course he'll know other things! As for Misao… she may be dizzy on the surface, but there's gotta be something beneath it. I like writing people who have deep characters – I think Aoshi and Misao are never developed enough (says she, who has them as background characters). Anyway, I am keeping writing! Enjoy!

anime-luney – What's with you and 'much goodness'? I don't think you say it 'too much', but I'm wondering where you got it from! Glad you liked the chappie, though!

Lydia-Blessing – Yay! You like it! /grins/ I spent a while deciding what that last line would be… Glad you liked it!

Crisa Rei (for all reviews) - /blinks/ You wrote a review for every chapter… wow…

(Battousai: /peering over Nix's shoulder/ Wow. That's commitment.

Rurouni: Yes, that it is!)

I'm glad you like it, is the first thing to say. Well, as to individual points: Chapter 3: the lime bit was hard to write. Personally, I thought I'd moved too fast, but it was a bit that had to be 'over-and-done' before I could get to the big stuff, so I didn't linger. Chapter 10: People were saying the ending was hilarious, but it wasn't supposed to be… ah well, I'm a comedian when I don't mean it. That's gotta be good, ne? Chapter 11, 12, 13, 15: What the heck? Your hair's getting attacked? Weird… Chapter 14: Nope. Kenshin (both versions) are mine… I'm the one writing this story…

(Battousai: /long-suffering sigh/ Nix, we've gone over this. I am _not_ your property.

Nix: Yes, you are! You're my Muse! _My_ Muse!

Battousai: You can have Rurouni.

Nix: But I want both of you…

Battousai: /sighs/)

Chapter 17: I'm glad you made time for this. I hope you aren't disappointed by this chapter. As for writing this… I'm having as much fun writing as you are reading! Arigato!

KilluaHiei – Glad you liked it!

kenshinlover2002 – Getting into the story is _always_ a good thing from my point of view! At least you noticed after I explained! As for the slap: no, this is _not_ the way to get someone out of shock. Megumi's a little panicky here, so she reacts more extremely than necessary. Kenshin being okay is part of the plot… can't give it away… Battousai might twist it and completely change the plot…

(Battousai: /evil grin/ You know you like plot twists.

Nix: Yes, but they're really hard to write…

Battousai: You'll live…

Nix: /turns back to keyboard, muttering/ Says he, who doesn't have to write it…

Battousai: You'll live… stop grumping.)

HiEi JaGaNsHis FlAmE – Glad you like it! And never mind if you don't review…

DakBug - /grins/ I'd like to see that. It would be amusing… Hoped you liked the chapter!

kagomefan - Updated... enjoy!

thechickenlittle2000 - Yep, this would have to qualify as one of the worst days ever... especially for Kaoru. As for everything being alright... well, that's a secret!

(Battousai: Now I get to say my bit!)

/sighs/ Okay... go ahead.

Battousai: chickenlittle, you're welcome for the 'awesome' chapter! /whispers to Nix/ What does 'awesome' mean?

Nix: Very good, excellent, and so on.

Battousai: Oh. Right. /to chickenlittle/ You're welcome! Thanks!


	19. Revealing Vision

**To Reveal All**

**Chapter 19: Revealing Vision**

**By steelphoenix**

* * *

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Rurouni Kenshin, or any of its characters.

**Author's Notes:** So here we are… I said to kenshinlover2002 that Battousai's going to twist the plot, and here he's done exactly as I said he would… he has totally thrown me for a loop in this chapter. He chucked me a plot twist, and I said, "Okay, let's put that in, it sounds interesting." And now the story is looking to be another three chapters long… /sobs/ And I only planned _ten_ to start with!

I've changed the timeframes for Kenshin's healing a little from the last chapter – he's fast-healing, but he's not Wolverine… He's basically in deep sleep, bordering on coma. With the wounds he sustained, I don't blame him.

**Language Notes: **The 'Floating World' was the name used for the licensed pleasure quarters of Edo (Old Tokyo) and other cities before the Meiji Era. Customers were free to hire geisha and courtesans, feast at restaurants, and visit kabuki theatres.

**Warnings:** PG-13 for sexual situations/scenes and violence in other chapters. No language warnings.

* * *

"Kenshin…" Kaoru had ignored Sano beyond the 'He'll be fine', and she glided forwards, to kneel by Kenshin's head, as she had done through the night. The blazing hair lay rumpled on the pillow, and she smoothed it with a hand as gentle as sakura petals.

Love filled her face and voice as she looked down at him. "I won't leave you, Kenshin."

---

True to her word, Kaoru didn't leave Kenshin. She refused utterly to remove herself from his room. "I'm not leaving this room until Kenshin does!" was her emphatic reply. Even the fact that she could lose her danna, and thus her reputation as a geisha, did not stir her.

Megumi and Tae related a (slightly censored) version of the events of the night to the okiya mistress when she asked where Kaoru was. Megumi wisely omitted any reference that she had gained her wound by her own sacrifice, and also omitted the fact that Kaoru had killed Shishio and the Kokuryukai, knowing that it would also stain her reputation.

---

A long week passed, with Doctor Genzai checking Kenshin every day. Due to his many wounds, the redhead healed slowly, and it took twice as long as expected for the internal stitching to heal. At the end of the fifteenth day, Doctor Genzai checked it again, and pronounced it healed enough to remove the stitches.

It was a long process, beginning in the late morning, and finishing long after the sun had passed its zenith. Once again, Megumi, Aoshi, and Misao assisted the doctor, handing cloths and turning the unconscious man.

Kaoru had had to be forcibly removed from the room. Doctor Genzai refused to let her stay, for fear that she might faint, or try to disrupt the operation.

_I promised I'd stay with him! I have to be there…_ Though she outwardly appeared to be strong, inside she shivered in fear. Yahiko's comforting arm around her went largely unnoticed.

_It is the waiting that is the worst…_ A chill shot through her. Waiting just outside the room, waiting for sounds of pain, waiting for agony.

_Or waiting for death…_

"No…" she muttered, just as the shoji slid open. Instantly, she was on her feet, her eyes raised to the person coming out.

It was Doctor Genzai. He gave her a tired smile, trying to reassure her and calm the conflicting emotions evident on her face. As she rushed by him, he sighed. _Worry and joy and hope. She has so much to learn. But at least she will learn it with love._

As Kaoru entered the room, the three there looked up. Megumi, who was laying the futon cover back over Kenshin, smiled tiredly at her. Aoshi looked up, and the expression on his face was a faint, but recognisable, relief. Misao dropped the scalpel she was washing, and bounced over to hug Kaoru.

"He's fine, Kaoru! The operation went well, don't worry!"

Slightly startled at the fact that Misao was still bouncy, and the fact that she'd called her 'Kaoru', the young woman smiled down at her, and crossed to the futon.

"He'll be fine, Kaoru. He'll be healed in no time," were Megumi's reassuring words.

Kaoru knelt by the futon, hands clasped in her lap. One hand went out to touch Kenshin's bitten shoulder. "Yes," she replied. "In no time."

Megumi's smile was gentle. "You can trust us. You can leave sometimes."

"No!" snapped out Kaoru, then realised what that sounded like. "Yes, I trust you, but no, I won't leave. I promised Kenshin I wouldn't leave him, and I won't."

---

Kaoru's refusal to leave Kenshin meant that when his forehead heated, and his lips began spewing meaningless babble, early in the morning of the seventeenth day, she was the first to know.

The cause was obvious: the internal stitching may have healed, but the external stitching of the wound had not fared so well. The outer wound had been enlarged from the original sword-thrust, in order that Doctor Genzai could access the intestines, to stitch them. It had been prodded and poked at, at least every two days, sometimes more frequently, and though the wound had been well-dressed, it could easily have gathered dirt or dust, enough to cause infection.

Doctor Genzai cleaned the wound with boiled water for the third time. The stitches, carefully oiled, had been cleaned enough to render them almost as white as the surrounding skin, but the Doctor was still worried.

"Since he did not heal as fast as expected, we may have to restitch the wound, in order to prevent further infection. Unfortunately, he is moving too much for me to even attempt it now. We can do nothing until the fever breaks."

---

That night was hellish for Kaoru. Kenshin moaned, and turned on the futon, calling out incomprehensibly. Names, times, and dates flew from his lips, knowledge from the Bakumatsu – information on those he had to kill. It was for the names that he moved the most, thrashing about and lashing out unconsciously.

Eventually Sano and Aoshi had to come in and pin him to the mattress. Kaoru stayed at his head, stroking his scarred cheek and calling his name.

"Kenshin! Kenshin, love, calm down… I'm here, I'm with you, calm down," was her constant refrain, and eventually it pierced the delirium. The redhead calmed, his fists and feet no longer flying randomly, and though he still moved, it was no longer with such violence.

And he called out her name. Her name, and the name of 'Tomoe'. Kaoru knew of Tomoe, knew the part she had played in Kenshin's life, and realised that he was calling out for those he loved – had loved – most deeply. This alone was enough to reassure her a little more.

---

But Kenshin was still held by the delirium of wound-fever. The dawn came, glowing on the sakura, and the redhead still moaned on his futon. Through the day, Megumi and Sano watched and waited, as Kaoru lay, in an exhausted sleep, on another futon in the room.

"The Missy's exhausted," commented Sano, quietly. "She'll get sick if she doesn't rest more. I mean, staying up all night's not good."

Megumi considered his remark. "Yes, but do remember, she's a geisha, and she frequently stays awake, and entertaining, until the fourth hour of the morning. This is no toll on her body."

"But it's bad for her heart," said Sano. "I mean, if I was sick, what'd you do?"

A quick sigh from Megumi answered his question, and she said, "I suppose you mean that the problems of the heart carry over to the body?"

The ex-fighter nodded. "Yep, that's it. She'll get sick. And if the Missy's sick, Kenshin'll do badly as well."

"Yes. We need to keep her asleep as long as possible." Megumi looked between the two futons. "They need to rest, and heal. Kenshin in body, and Kaoru in heart."

---

As night set in, Megumi roused Kaoru, and the fox-woman flitted off to carry out her duties as a geisha, her shoulder having healed sufficiently by now.

Kaoru settled herself by Kenshin's pillow, readying herself for another long night. Kenshin tossed on the futon, calmed only a little by her hands and voice. As the night wore on, he moved more and more.

"Kaoru! Kaoru! Help me… Help me…!" yelled the unconscious man, thrashing on the pillow, red hair mussed. As Kaoru reached out, pressing his shoulders into the futon, trying to stop him from moving, he grabbed at her – and caught her arm.

Despite being weak from his injuries, his grip was still firm enough that Kaoru couldn't pull out of it easily. He drew her down towards him, wrapping her arm around his waist.

_I can't pull away, I can't resist him… he'll injure himself further_, knew Kaoru. If she incited a reaction, he could easily rip the wounds, infecting them further.

So she followed his direction, and as he pulled her down, she opened the futon cover, and slipped in beside him. She had the horrible feeling that this was the wrong thing to do, that this would hurt him, but she couldn't shake the conviction that this was the best way to comfort him.

Careful to avoid his wounds, she slipped close, tucking one arm up by his side, and leaving the other where it was, wrapped around his hips.

Almost instantly, his movement slowed, then almost ceased. Though his head still occasionally flicked from side to side, and his mouth still babbled, his hand was clenched tight around hers, and he pulled her close – as close as he could.

Relaxing as much as she dared, Kaoru watched him, occasionally whispering softly or stroking his face when his babble grew louder.

---

Two more long nights passed, Kaoru lying by Kenshin's side, willing her strength to pass to him, willing him to break free of the fever, willing him to heal.

Misao had visited occasionally through the nights, talking to Kaoru, keeping her awake and alert. They chatted about meaningless things, from the best way to tie an obi to the colour of the kimonos they wanted to wear at their weddings.

Sometimes, serious topics arose, and this was how Kaoru came to know the full story of what had happened the night of the rescue. She knew the bare details of Kenshin's fight with Shishio, prior to being knocked out, but now she heard the intimate details – second-hand, admittedly, but they were accurate.

She smiled at Misao's account of Aoshi telling her that they were going away. The love that shone in her face and sparkled in her eyes reminded Kaoru of her own love, and as Misao described being kissed, she stroked Kenshin's hand.

Sometimes Aoshi came to take Misao away, when the ninja girl had been there long enough for her chatter to begin to tire Kaoru. He knew precisely how to halt the flow of her tongue, but sometimes, he simply let her speak, and Kaoru heard them as Misao said goodnight. The quick silences, she needed no imagination to fill. She remembered the previous utter iciness of his personality, and she smiled, and marvelled at the softness the young woman and the short time of peace imparted on him.

But in the long hours when Misao was not there to keep her awake, and Kenshin lay mostly-quiet, she floated in a world that was somewhere between dreaming and waking: a world of visions, a world of peace, a world of realisations and revelations.

She saw, in that time, the future and the past, possibilities endless. She saw two red-haired boys, one who would be the child of the other. She saw three girls, two black-haired and bouncy, one redheaded; and again, two were the children of the other. Other children also appeared: a boy with spiky brown hair, and a girl with black hair and dark eyes.

The black-haired girls walked along an invisible street, and with a gesture, the taller of the two called into being a fan.

Exquisitely painted in red and gold, it sparkled in the light, but the other side, the face that it turned towards the girl, was black. The girl waved the fan, with a dance-like gesture, and a shimmer of sparkling light flew out from it, outlining the edge of a house. The light, now caught, flickered onwards, and with a rush, the building, and the next, and the next, appeared.

The Floating World materialised: the teahouses of Tokyo, the meikos and geishas. The beauty of it was mesmerising, but slowly and silently a dark veil, flickering from the black side of the fan, flowed over it: corruption, violence, and lust. The pollution caught most easily in the darker streets, but it made its way into the falsely-sparkling teahouses, showing them for what they were.

The shorter girl, the one with sapphire eyes, could not see the dark stain. She gazed in wonder at the iridescent buildings, but as she stood mesmerised, dark shapes crept from the shadowed veil. Before they could reach her, the girl with the fan batted them off, using both the sparkling and black sides of her fan.

As the shadows faded, the girl with the fan tapped it against the other girl's palm. Another fan materialised, sapphire and gold. The girl spread it, and began to dance.

As she danced, the pollution of the Floating World spun around her, and one side of the fan became darkened, the twin of its red-and-gold sister. The girl's dance slowed, and stopped as she stared down at the blackened fan, horrified.

Then, out of a side street, a red-haired boy appeared. A cruciform scar bled freshly on his left cheek. Beside him was a spiky-haired boy with a red headband. The redhead bumped into the blue-eyed girl, and they gazed into each other's eyes. The girl held out the fan to him, and he stared down at it.

With a quick gesture, the boy swiped the blood off his cheek, and spread it on the black side of the fan. Then, taking the sleeve of his magenta gi, he wiped it off, and the fan was once again sparkling and new.

The girl flung her arms around the boy, delight shining in her face, and kissed the bleeding cheek. In an instant, the bleeding stopped, and the cheek was wiped as clean as a new slate. The boy touched it, and joy grew on his features as he realised he was no longer bleeding. He caught the girl around her waist, and spun her around.

The two other children disappeared, the buildings faded to trees, and the street to emerald grass. The Floating World disappeared, and a clean green meadow was in its place. At the end of the meadow sat a small traditional Japanese house.

The girl tightened her grip as the boy swung her, and he lost his balance. They tumbled over in the long grass. Coming to rest, their faces stared into each others', and the girl laid her head on the boy's chest.

For a second, the two figures blurred, and as they cleared, they became larger, turning in a sliver of time from a boy and a girl to a man and a woman. The man sat up, the woman's head still pillowed against his shoulder, and carefully lifted her in his arms.

As he walked down the meadow with her, the shoji of the little house burst open, and three children appeared: a red-haired boy, a black-haired girl, and trailing after the others, another redhead, a girl.

The man knelt, letting the woman get out of his arms, and she, too, knelt. The children flung themselves into their arms, and the whole family held close to each other.

Other people appeared around the family: a black-haired woman with a foxy smile, who held a red-and-gold fan; a spiky-haired man wearing an 'aku'-marked coat; a young man carrying a shinai; a woman with a tea-tray and a green-and-gold fan; a man in a white coat; a woman with a long braid; and so they and many others came, each giving blessings to the family.

---

Kaoru started out of the vision-world as she heard a thud, and a muffled curse, as someone bumped against a shoji that was closed when they didn't expect it to be. "Grrr… damn shoji…" muttered a feminine voice, which Kaoru recognised instantly. It was Megumi, and from the way her voice was low and slightly slurred indicated that she was drunk – obviously she'd had one too many jugs of sake at her latest party.

_Oh well…_ sighed the young woman. _She's certain to be invited back… unless she offended one of the guests…_ Megumi's wit was dazzling when she was sober, and it only got quicker and slyer when she had alcohol in her system.

There was a rattle, and the screen to Kenshin's room opened. Megumi came in, and in the lamplight, Kaoru could see that her cheeks were slightly pink, and her gait was a little unsteady.

"Hello, Kaoru," she smiled down at her 'younger sister'. "I see you're keeping warm there!"

"Megumi!" Kaoru snapped indignantly, rolling out of Kenshin's grip, off the futon.

Megumi grinned at the woman's embarrassment. "Don't worry, I know you're not going to take advantage of him… not that it isn't tempting…" She knelt beside Kaoru, pulling the futon off Kenshin's upper body. "Though he isn't much to look at now, wrapped in all those bandages."

Kaoru snatched the covers back, laying them back over Kenshin with infinite tenderness. As she did, Kenshin moaned, then coughed lightly. The two women froze as he rolled over on to his side, and his eyes flickered open.

"Kaoru…?" he asked, a dull rasp though a dry mouth.

She was there in an instant. "Kenshin… I'm here, Kenshin…"

He blinked, and his eyes focussed for the barest second on her. "…Love…"

Then the eyelids flickered shut again, and with a soft sigh, he relaxed back on the futon. His breathing, which had been laboured and shallow throughout the fever, deepened. Barely daring to believe it, Kaoru reached out and touched his forehead.

_Cool again! And I never noticed… But the fever is broken!_ rejoiced Kaoru. At long last, Kenshin was on the mend. He could begin to fully heal, to recover his strength and fitness.

Megumi giggled. "He wanted you to look at him all along, Kaoru!" she said, her drunkenness at last starting to make her a little silly.

_I suppose she has an excuse… it's not every night this happens…_ Kaoru was too elated at Kenshin's fever breaking to be annoyed at Megumi's inane comment.

"Oh well, good night!" said Megumi, a grin adorning her face. "See you in the morning!" She made her way unsteadily to the screen, and disappeared off down the corridor.

_It is a good night, indeed,_ thought Kaoru, and lay down beside Kenshin, on the edge of the futon. Before she could think any more, the worry that she had been carrying at long last fell from her mind, and she fell into a dreamless sleep beside Kenshin.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** The vision sequence could have been confusing, but I hope that it made sense once you realised who the characters were.

And can anyone see setup for the next chapter here…? You can borrow my Muse for your own purposes if you get it right…

(Battousai: I don't think so… 'your own purposes' sounds potentially embarrassing.

Nix: How so?

Battousai: Well, last time I was 'borrowed' (this is before I was your Muse), I was put in a yaoi fanfic… /shudders/ I'm never going to look at Shinomori in quite the same way ever again…

Nix: /giggles/

Battousai: It was _disturbing_, alright?)

/still giggling/ …yes… well… You can borrow my Muse to 'inspire' you for fanfiction…

(Battousai: Still potentially embarrassing, but I can cope…)

BTW: 'Yaoi' is guy-guy stuff – fanfic, doujin, manga, anime, etc. – and 'yuri' is girl-girl stuff.

(Battousai: _Never_ mention that evil, evil word near me, _ever again_!)

**Review Replies:** Thanks to all my reviewers.

Bradybunch4529 – Yay! Worth the wait! I really don't know how to reply to all the compliments, except: Long live the KxK fluff! …and the AxM fluff, for that matter… I'm glad you caught the inference of the Kaoru and Yahiko moment.

Nanakiyoda – Relax a little… but I bet you were all tensed up for this chapter! At least I resolved it, and didn't do a cliffhanger… /grin/ I was tempted…

Peachie-Chan – Yeah, I realised after I posted that Jinchuu wasn't animated… /sigh/ I was thinking of the bit in Samurai X: Reflections, with Enishi. As for sites with the manga… /begs/ pleeeze give me the address… I've only read up to Volume 6, and Viz is _incredibly_ slow with their translations… As for all good things ending, you've got another three chapters… /glares at Battousai/

(Battousai: /whistles innocently/)

…and most likely more, if he throws me any _more_ plot twists… Ah well… /hands Peachie an Aoshi plushie/

anime-luney – I'm sure I've heard it somewhere… Meh, I've heard it so often from you! Yay for fighting and fluffiness! So much fun to write! More chapters: three at current count. Sequel: NO WAY! I had enough trouble with TRA… Running out of things to say: unlikely…

Jupiter's Light (a.k.a. scythe195) – Never mind about the name… gotta love AutoCorrect, it doesn't let you put in different names /sighs/. Plot points I do not give away, even for a Toaster Of Doom… /hides behind Battousai/

Battousai: /slices aforementioned Toaster Of Doom to minute pieces/

…thanks, Battousai! /hugs Muse/

Battousai: /sighs resignedly, having given up on making Nix _not_ glomp him/

…and that's a lot of 'once again's… Thanks!

Raeyn-chan (for all reviews) – Oooh, someone else who reviews every chapter! Yay! Lots of thanks! Specific chapters: Chapter 11: Getting into the story is the main thing about writing fanfic! I love it! Chapter 16: I'm glad you think it's fitting for Kaoru to kill Shishio… I felt she deserved a dramatic moment, as everyone tends to play down her abilities in fights. As for the side stories… they may yet become a story of their own… Battousai's idea, not mine. Chapter 18: Here's what comes next… enjoy!

froggi3 – Glad to read them! Battle scenes can never be 'too realistic', in my estimation… and Battousai has something to say to you.

Battousai: /mutters/ I'msorryforthreateningyou.

…What was that? I couldn't hear!

Battousai: You heard. Accept the apology. Or else. /hand nearing katana hilt/

…that's as good as you're going to get. And for the KxK moment… Long live meringue!

Crewel – Yay for quick updates! And as for SxM… you'll love the next chapter… /giggles/ You may be able to see it coming…

auburn moonlight – Aaahhh! The evilness of the McDonald's song! /borrows Battousai's katana, slices up random Ronald McDonald plastic figurine/ Updated soon… as per request! Enjoy!

inuyasha/kenshin gurl – FLUFF TO THE PEOPLE! …The world needs more fluff, in my opinion… /hands inukengurl a meringue/

Crisa Rei – Fortunately, I have lots of regular reviewers for TRA! Welcome to the club! /grins/ Glad you liked it!

thechickenlittle2000 – Yup… I may be inflicting a little too much pain on our poor redhead, but… well… it's all in the name of fanfic!

(Battousai and Rurouni: /muttering/ Damn fanfic…)

And someone likes the way I did Aoshi! Yay! I tried to keep his attitude as close to what I've seen in the anime/manga, and then add what I think would happen with Misao. It worked! Yay! /does happy dance/

(Battousai, to Rurouni: She may have done ballet, but that 'happy dance' is awful!

Rurouni: Unfortunately, this one can only agree, that he can.)

/glares at Muses/ …but anyway… Yes, poor Kaoru. She's had a pretty rough time, and I think that very few of us could do as well. But remember, this is the attitude that makes her Kenshin's 'rock' – his strength – in the anime/manga. Battousai gets to answer the next part.

Battousai: /bows/ Arigato gozaimasu, chickenlittle.

…What, that's all you're going to say?

Rurouni: He's a little overwhelmed. It's very rare for people to address comments to the Muses.

Battousai: /going red/ AM NOT!

Rurouni: /knowing Rurouni smile/

Battousai: /goes into Battoujutsu stance/ You'll take that back…

Rurouni: There is no need to deny the truth, that there is not. /walks off/

Battousai: I _hate_ it when he does that…


	20. Revealing Restraint

**To Reveal All**

**Chapter 20: Revealing Restraint**

**By steelphoenix**

* * *

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Rurouni Kenshin, or any of its characters.

**Author's Notes:** I am positively evil with Sano and Megumi in this chapter. It's a bit predictable and fluffy, what happens, but it needed to be done, or so I think… /sweatdrops/ You'll either love or hate these scenes… I hope you love them!

I had no idea _whatsoever_ what to call this chapter… I hope 'Revealing Restraint' works for you guys!

About the 'vision' sequence from the last chapter: the girl with the red-and-gold fan was Megumi, the girl with her was Kaoru, and the boys were Kenshin (duh) and Sano.

Also: Well done to evilteddybear and Raeyn-chan for guessing (albeit unintentionally, Raeyn-chan!) about what's going to happen. I probably shouldn't have put the obvious hint in, but anyway… /wheels in a stretcher, with Battousai tied to it, apparently unconscious/

evilteddybear/confused/ Why's he on the stretcher?

Raeyn-chan/pokes Battousai/ And unconscious, too?

Nix: He utterly refused to be given to someone else who may, or may not, use him for yaoi purposes.

Battousai/waking up/ Oh, my head… /notices he's tied up, minus katana/ NOOOOO! DON'T GIVE ME AWAY, NIX-CHAN! PLEEEEEAAAAASE! AT LEAST YOU DON'T USE ME FOR YAOI!

evilteddybear: I won't use you for yaoi… promise…

Raeyn-chan: I won't either… /giggles/

Battousai/wriggles out from bonds, hides behind Nix/ They said that last time… Please, Nix… Haven't I been a good Muse to you/practically begging/

Nix/shoves him towards evilteddybear and Raeyn-chan/ Please give him back, and relatively unharmed… I don't consider using him for yaoi 'harmed'.

Battousai: NOOOOOO!

(I'm sorry for any mischaracterisation, evilteddybear and Raeyn-chan.)

**Language Notes: **Tabi are the split-toed socks traditionally worn with sandals.

**Warnings:** PG-13 for sexual situations/scenes and violence in other chapters. No language warnings.

* * *

Megumi wandered along the passage, her senses pleasantly hazy. Her mood was pleasantly hazy too – something between happiness and silliness. _Well, Kenshin's awake. That's good… maybe we'll be able to get Kaoru out of that damn room now…_

"Aaaah, what does it matter?" she muttered. She had admired Kaoru for the single-minded devotion that allowed her to concentrate solely on Kenshin, and getting him well again. But the single-mindedness also annoyed her. _How can anyone give so much attention to someone…?_

Her attention was wandering, and that was why she didn't see the man coming out of the toilet. With a crash, she ran straight into him. He tried to catch her as she fell against him, but he overbalanced, and they ended on the floor.

"Ow…" _My head feels odd_, she thought. She giggled faintly, the haziness turning from a mix of happiness and silliness to pure silliness.

A deep voice recalled her to where she was: collapsed on the floor, lying on top of a man. "Megumi? Are you okay?"

She'd recognise that voice anywhere. With another 'ow', she clambered to her feet. "Yes, I'm fine, Sano. Just a little… oops…" she wobbled unsteadily, giggling, "…tipsy…"

"Heh, been out on the booze, Fox?" she could hear the grin in his voice, and in her drunken state, took offence. Her voice snapped indignantly. "No, I've been a geisha!" Then the sheer idiocy of the statement made itself known, and she giggled again.

Sano winced. She was obviously more than 'tipsy' if she was this giddy, and the comment about her work – which she had no way of getting out of, right now – caused a swirl of jealousy, but he forced it down, lest she should see it. "Hey, no offence! But you'll need to sleep it off – come on." He walked up to her, and wrapped his arm around her – the right. His left side couldn't support much weight yet.

They made their way along the corridor, Megumi swaying quite a bit, but eventually they made it to Sano's bedroom.

_The Fox'll need the futon to sleep in. Dammit, I'm stuck with the floor…_ thought Sano as he assisted her to the bed. Pulling back the covers, he pushed the still-giggling Megumi inside, and dropped them back in place. As he pulled away to make up a bed of his own, Megumi grabbed his arm, and said, "You're coming with me!" A fresh set of giggles bubbled up.

"Um… Fox… That wouldn't be right… um…" Sano was at a loss as to what to do. He loved her, yes, knew she loved him, yes, but he didn't want to harm that relationship, new as it was. Taking advantage of her wouldn't be a good thing…

" 'Course it would be!" replied Megumi, grinning up at him. "I love you, now come to bed!"

Sano's face heated. This wasn't exactly what he'd envisioned when he'd pictured going to bed with Megumi… nor was it what he'd wanted. _If only there was some way to distract her long enough to let her fall asleep…_

"Nah, gotta take off my jacket," he replied, inspiration suddenly striking. He fingered his 'aku'-mark coat. "You lie down, I'll come later."

"No jacket… hmmm…" Sano could almost sense the fox ears appearing on Megumi's head. Before he could react, she reached out and grabbed the shoulders of the coat, and yanked it off. "Now," she said, "Come on in."

"But…" Sano was still protesting. Megumi ended the argument by leaning forwards, grabbing him about the waist, and pulling. The thrust of movement was too sudden for Sano, and he overbalanced.

They landed on the futon, Sano on top of Megumi.

"Just the way I wanted," she commented, and lifted her head to place a kiss on the stunned Sano's lips. Then her head snuggled into the pillow, and the softest of sighs announced that she had gone to sleep.

Sano ever-so-carefully rolled off, but couldn't extricate himself from Megumi's hold. She had her hands wrapped though the belt of his pants, and there was no way to escape, short of waking her or taking off his pants – neither of which he was too keen to do.

He sighed to himself. _Well, I get to sleep with her – just not the sort of 'sleep' I wanted…_ Wrapping his arms around her shoulders, he pulled her into his chest, and allowed himself to relax.

-

"Mmmmm…" Megumi sighed contentedly, and snuggled closer into the big, warm body next to her. So warm…

_Wait a second…_ her brain decided to start functioning. _Warm body?_

She opened her eyes, and moved to lean on her elbow. A head was on the futon pillow next to where hers had been, and as she moved, the owner of the head was disturbed, and his eyes opened.

Dark chocolate eyes that matched dark chocolate hair nearly exactly.

A smile flicked across his mouth, and he said, "Woke up at last, Fox?"

"Yes… Why am I in the same futon as you, Sano?" It was a reasonable enough question, she thought, but the wicked grin that it awoke said that there was something else to the story.

"Well…" he grinned at her with that maddening mischievousness, "There was a certain fox who was very drunk, and very keen on having me in her futon, which is actually mine anyway, and since she wouldn't let go of me, I ended up in this position."

Megumi gaped. All the information added to a rather nasty picture: she'd gotten drunk at a party (a mistake), had come to the dojo instead of back to the okiya (a worse mistake), had somehow run into Sano (_not_ a mistake), and tried to seduce him (the worst mistake yet).

_At least we're both dressed…_ she thought, then mentally checked her outfit. Tabi, present; nagajuban, intact; kimono, present, but crumpled; obi, loosened, but there; hair… "Damn…" she said as she realised the state of her hair.

"What?" asked Sano. He had been watching the changing expressions on her face, and the way her hands unconsciously moved said that she was checking that she was fully dressed. Now she sat up, and her hands slid up to pat the chignons of hair on her head. The elaborate style only reminded him that she was a geisha, and again, a rush of jealousy filled him. But he knew that there was no way he could get her out – the okiya mistress wouldn't let two geishas go at once, especially when one was extremely popular, and he'd already promised the two thousand ryo to Kenshin, for Kaoru.

Megumi winced at the feel of the hair beneath her palms. It was utterly unsalvageable. Twists of hair lay flat against her head where they were supposed to be puffed, and hair that was supposed to be smooth was a round as a pillow. She muttered another curse, and began yanking out the pins.

"Um, Megumi? What're you doing that for?" asked Sano, bemused at her actions.

"I'm… damn pins… taking out this hairstyle, what… grrrr… does it look like?" was the answer. Megumi jerked out another pin with surprising annoyance.

"Yeah, but why?" Sano asked again – she hadn't answered his question.

Megumi replied, "Because, Sano, I need to prevent the pins from being broken. If I don't take them out, they will be. And besides, they dig into my head."

"Ah! I see!" The man watched for a minute, but he couldn't see much – moonlight through the shoji was the only illumination, and though it was bright, he still couldn't make out just what her hands were doing. "Do you want some light?"

The offer came at the right time. "Yes, please," the geisha answered, wrestling with a comb at the end of a long loop. As Sano lit the oil lamp, the room was flooded with a warm glow. It illuminated Megumi from behind, outlining her finally succeeding in removing the stuck comb.

_Dammit… this is the problem with these hairstyles…_ The fox-woman reached for the next comb.

Before she touched it, a big hand descended, and caught hers. "Do you need help with that?" a whisper in her ear.

"I could do with some help…" she said, her voice slightly husky, the alcohol she'd had earlier still warm in her veins.

A slight tug to her hair indicated that Sano had pulled out another pin. His fingers were gentle against her scalp, and with a slow uncoiling of the waxed hair, the next chignon unravelled. The next, and the next followed, until there were no more pins and no more coiled hair.

"All done," said Sano's deep voice, and she felt the gentle warmth of his arms around her shoulders, hugging her from behind. "Shall we go back to sleep?"

Megumi's heart skipped a beat briefly. _Why would I want to go to sleep? _asked her mind, already slipping through the possibilities of what could happen if she didn't.

"But I want to sleep with you…" slipped out her lips before she thought to restrain it.

The body pressed up into her back tensed, and then Sano nosed at her hair, seeking her skin. When his lips reached it, they laid the lightest of kisses on the nape of her neck. Ever-so-gently, he pulled her closer, and his voice vibrated through her chest as he spoke.

"It wouldn't be right, Fox. Not now, anyway."

Megumi turned her head to look up into his face, wondering why he'd turn down such a tempting offer. The gaze that met hers was tender, but held the wanting and the passion that she was sure he felt.

"But why?" _Dear Kami-sama, are you playing a trick on me? I can see he wants it… why move so slowly…?_

"Well, I'm still really new to this – loving someone, I mean – and I really don't think it'd work… I mean, much as I'd like to, it mightn't be the right thing for us to do…" _Please believe me, Megumi – I have no idea what to do! Much as I want you, I could hurt you…_

Megumi sighed gently, her head sinking down, away from Sano's gaze. "I have no idea what to do, either…"

A small smile curled the fighter's lips. He hadn't been sure whether the move was a wise one, but from Megumi's reaction, it had been.

"…But know this, Sano," added Megumi, her head lifting, "I _will_ have you in my bed one day!" Then a beautiful, teasing grin spread across her face, and she relaxed back into his arms.

Sano gently lay back on the futon, hauling the fox-woman with him. After her initial surprise, she was happy to lie cupped by his body.

The man lifted himself onto his elbow, and leaned down to lay a gentle kiss on her lips. She responded, her hand stroking the curve of his cheek, but then he pulled away, and lay back down, head nestled in the curve of her shoulder.

Megumi had one last question. "Sano?"

"Yes?"

"You know I love you, right?"

A deep chuckle answered the question, but he said it anyway. "Yes. And I love you."

-

The morning sun filled the room with a bright golden glow, but the two lying on the futon didn't notice. Red and midnight hair tangled together on the pillow, where Kaoru's head was nestled under Kenshin's chin. Gentle, sighing breaths floated up, mingling in the warm air.

Quiet footsteps along the veranda outside announced that Yahiko, up early for once, had come to check on his sister and Kenshin.

_I'll come and see if I can get Kaoru to come out of the room… see how Kenshin is…_ he thought as he carefully slid the shoji open. Entering the room, a puzzled frown creased his face. Kaoru wasn't kneeling by the futon, as she had been on all his previous visits.

Then he noticed that the futon was lumpier than it should have been. A suspicion grew in his mind. _Perhaps Kaoru got into the futon…_ He had heard Misao mention something about Kaoru calming Kenshin, but hadn't paid it any mind, having been distracted by Tsubame kneeling down beside him.

Crossing to it, he leaned over, and saw that Kaoru and Kenshin were indeed curled up beside each other. But there was something else… something not quite right…

_Kenshin's not moving!_ There was no feverish tossing of the head, no half-heard moans, not even the harsh breathing that had previously rasped through the room.

Instantly, the young man leaned down and touched his fingers to the side of Kenshin's neck unoccupied by Kaoru.

But lifeblood flowed there… the strong pulse beneath his fingers indicated that Kenshin had not left the Earth.

_Kaoru would've been heartbroken…_ flashed through his mind. Then he screwed up his wits into determination. _No! He's fine… I can't even think that… Kenshin's going to recover!_

Lifting his hand to Kenshin's forehead, he straight away felt the difference. Gone was the searing, sweaty fever, burning the redhead up from the inside. Instead, the cool and dry skin was a relief.

_Thank Kami-sama… the fever's finally broken!_ A grin lit his face at the realisation. He rose, and went back to the still-open shoji. Gently sliding it closed, he thought, _I'll let them sleep… Kami-sama knows, they need it. _

He walked back through to the kitchen. As Yahiko entered, Misao was attempting to slice up a carrot at long range, with a kunai. It wasn't working. She turned as he entered, throwing the knife as she did. Yahiko watched it thump into the carrot, and winced momentarily. If she was that good when she wasn't even trying…

"Hello, Yahiko! How are you this morning? I'm trying to slice up a carrot long-range! It's good for my aim, and I want to see if I can get slices that are the same size as each other…" Then her chatter trailed off as she saw Yahiko's grin. She cocked her head. "Why are you smiling like that?"

Yahiko's grin deepened. "Kenshin's fever's broken!"

"_Really!_" Misao bounced up to him, "When? Why? Did Kaoru say anything? Is she alright? Is she awake? I would think she would be, but then if she fell asleep, it wouldn't matter –"

A deep, quiet chuckle sounded behind her, and the door slid open, revealing Aoshi. "Misao, let him answer the first question before you give him another."

Misao's head snapped around, and her attention was momentarily distracted from Yahiko and Kenshin's recovery. A series of quick, bouncing steps carried her over to hug Aoshi tightly. He laid a kiss on her lips, silencing her before she could start her usual 'good morning' chatter.

Then his attention turned to Yahiko. "I believe you said Battousai's fever had broken? When did this happen?"

Yahiko looked sheepish, rubbing the back of his head. A momentary sweatdrop formed. "Well, I don't know exactly… You see, Kaoru's asleep too… and she'd be the only one who knows…"

"Well, we should see, shouldn't we?" asked the tall man, and suiting actions to words, wrapped his arm around Misao's waist, and headed off to Kenshin's room.

-

"Uuuugh…" muttered Megumi as she slowly surfaced. A dry mouth and a throbbing headache indicated just how much sake she'd had the night before, and it wasn't pleasant. At all.

As she stirred, she bumped her head into a large, warm object. It was a well-muscled shoulder.

Her reaction was a little more extreme than it had been the night before – or rather, earlier that morning.

"Whaaaaa – ?" Her voice rose higher as she realised that the shoulder was attached to a well-muscled body. _A _very nice _well-muscled body,_ she had time to think, before the hangover decided she'd done enough thinking for now, and interrupted.

She hissed as her head gave a fresh throb of pain. The sharp noise, and her slumping back down onto the futon, woke the man she was lying with, and his head raised. The spiky hair and brown eyes instantly informed Megumi that the man whose futon she was in was Sano.

"Morning, love," he drawled lazily, and the way he said the endearment brought shattered-glass fragments of memory flooding back.

"We… we didn't… sleep together, did we?" was the first question that sprung to mind, and Sano chuckled at the confusion on her face. He tugged at her obi. "Not with this on, we didn't."

Megumi's sigh of relief indicated that his decision last night had been a good one. _Though perhaps I shouldn't have even brought her into my room…_

The geisha sighed as memories reconstructed. "I tried to seduce you, didn't I?" She rolled over onto her back, staring at the ceiling. _Of all the stupid things to do…_

"Tried, Megumi," said Sano, warmth in his eyes, but the note of his voice telling her he was utterly serious. "I didn't think it was a good idea, not when you were as drunk as you were. And it's not really the right time…"

Megumi winced as the man's deep voice caused her head to start throbbing again. "I need to get back to the okiya…" she said faintly, trying to work past the pain.

Sano smiled gently. He'd had bad hangovers often enough. Slipping out of the futon, he scooted over to where a pitcher of water and a cup sat. Pouring a stream of liquid into the vessel, he handed it to Megumi. The fox-woman took it with a silent nod (which caused a wince of pain), and slowly sipped.

When she had finished it, the dryness in her mouth was quenched, and the throb of her head had lessened slightly. She risked slowly climbing to her feet, and without thinking, she pulled at the bow of her obi, to loosen and retie it.

"Um… Fox…?" His voice recalled Sano's presence to her notice, and she turned to see his turned back. She swiftly fixed the obi, straightened her kimono, and said, "Turn around."

The tall man did so, and he saw she was looking a lot more composed than previously. _Once again the geisha… so beautiful, my Fox…_

"I need to go back to the okiya…" she said, her eyes pleading with him.

"Of course," he replied, and walked over to the pile of hairpins and combs she had taken out of her hair in the night, handing them to her as he pulled on his jacket. She tucked them into her obi as he opened the shoji, and they stepped out into the morning.

-

Into the morning, and right into Aoshi and Misao.

Knowing smiles grew on both ninjas' faces as they noted that Megumi's hair was down. _A geisha's hair is only down when she's going to the hairdresser's, or when she's had an active night…_

"How are you this morning? Did you have a good night?" asked Misao, and her smile stated clearly, 'I know _precisely_ how good your morning's been… and as for your night…'

"Very well, thank you," replied Megumi, trying to ignore the sly implications.

The ninja pair continued along the veranda. Megumi and Sano trailed after them, Megumi's head throbbing with every step, but her curiosity was touched as they paused outside Kenshin's room.

Just as they reached it, the shoji slid open, and Kaoru appeared. She had apparently heard them coming.

Misao leapt forwards, and hugged Kaoru. For once, she didn't chatter, but merely held the other woman. When she let go, her first question was "When did the fever break?"

Megumi and Sano started at the question. "He's alright?" "The fever broke?"

"About the fourth hour," replied Kaoru, and proceeded to tell everyone the details. "…And I was sleeping along with him until Yahiko came in."

Megumi's smile softened as Kaoru finished. The quick glances Kaoru had thrown through the open shoji indicated that she was still watching Kenshin. "It'll take a while for him to be completely well, Kaoru," she warned.

Kaoru nodded, and her gentle smile lit up the group. Her words struck a chord in both the other couples outside the room.

"Yes, but we're together, and we're on the mend. Most of all, we're together."

* * *

**Author's Notes:** If anyone was expecting a sex scene – I know you were, you hentais! – then sorry/grins/ I think it's a little too early in Sano and Megumi's relationship for them to be contemplating something that has as lasting consequences as sex does. I mean, they know where they stand with each other as friends, but romance is another whole ballgame. And that way, it leaves some room for meringue! Yay for sweet-and-fluffy!

**Review Replies:** Thanks to all my reviewers.

anime-luney – Heh, I didn't mean that I didn't like it, I was just sure that I'd heard it somewhere else! Thanks for the review!

scythe195 – Whoah… long review/grins/ But I love long reviews! Bokkens do indeed hurt (yes, I've been hit by one – I'm absolutely craptacular at kendo, especially since I've never had any training). As for stealing Kenshin…

Kaoru (guest appearance): YOU AREN'T GOING ANYWHERE NEAR MY KENSHIN! Ooops… I didn't mean to say 'my'… YOU'RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE NEAR KENSHIN, ANYWAY/flourishes bokken dangerously/

…So, I wouldn't try it. Never mind about weird stalker voices in the background… it's probably Battousai, taunting you…

DakBug – _You're _a genius? Who wrote it/grins/ Just kidding. Glad you didn't get confused.

Estel-Elf-Lover – Thanks, glad you liked it!

Bradybunch4529 – The dream sequence was interesting to write, but once I got the hang of what I wanted to happen… well, it happened! I'm glad you think the characters are becoming more alive – that's the whole point of writing, ne?

evilteddybear – Congrats on guessing what's going to happen! (See above for awarding of the prize…!)

kenshinlover2002 (for TRA19 review) – It's a vision, and may or may not happen. It's simply to emphasise that they should be happy together, and their friends will support them. Glad you're happy about the recovery, and so on. Kaoru's scene was one of my favourites, too.

Christy – You read it in one go? Wow… That's… Wow. It _would_ have taken hours, especially considering mot chapters are over 3000 words long… I'm glad you thought it was worth it. Arigato.

Crisa Rei - Club card: Make one yourself. Club button: See above. Club poster: Anything with Kenshin being hot/Kaoru being cute will do. Club car: I have a plastic, car-shaped keyring…? Club sandwich: Oh, this is getting silly… /laughs/ Wow. You almost cried? I think that's the best tribute I've ever had… don't worry about work, it will get better!

Peachie-Chan – Go to where? is deleting URLs again… /hands Peachie a Kenshin plushie, with eyes coloured yellow (rather obviously felt-tip pen) and a blue gi (again, obviously felt-tip)/

Rurouni: He refused to be a plushie doll, that he did.

I'm glad that you liked this chapter, and wow… you actually cried over it? You're the second person who did… I think it's a sad chapter then…

Crewel – Yep, this chapter is mostly SxM… I think you may have caused that, in part… /grins/ Never mind, they needed it!

inuyasha/kenshin gurl – I'm glad you liked the vision! And as for Kenshin waking up…can't tell/evil grin/

RangerDo'Urden – Kenshin being magically healed in a day is annoying – I mean, he's not Wolverine! But I'm glad you like the vision.

Disco Jesus – Good guesses, but not quite what I was aiming for! Though (A) may indeed happen… hehe, no giving away the plot/evil grin/

froggi3 /grin/ Battousai will be happy to hear that… when he's back from his 'holiday' with evilteddybear and Raeyn-chan… Glad you liked the vision.

kenshinlover2002 (for TRA18 review) – Che, fluff is good, once in a while – it's just that I feel I need drama in there to balance it… and I'm not so great at that! Never mind about school, keep working at it, and you'll achieve. It's easier than University, trust me!

kitsune – Thanks! Will keep up the 'good work'/salute/

erica6060 – Thanks! I love it when people call my work 'cute'!

Brittanie Love – Updated! Enjoy!

Raeyn-chan – Well done on (unintentionally) guessing what went on with Sano and Megumi… I'm glad you like it, and if the vision was a bit _too_ confusing, sorry… The explanations above should help you at least understand who's involved. As for borrowing Battousai – you got it anyway!

thechickenlittle2000 – I hope this chapter enlightens you on the situation with Megumi and Sano. As for getting Kaoru out of being a geisha, expect that next chapter. I like the way you called the vision the 'Floating World' sequence… that describes it so perfectly! As for the Muses:

Rurouni: This one is sorry, that he is. It is not very often that he gets to tease the Battousai, and this one took the opportunity, that he did. This one is happy that you still like him, that he is.

…and unfortunately, Battousai's 'on holiday' with evilteddybear and Raeyn-chan, so I'll answer for him/puts on deep voice/ Arigato! Of course it'll be twisted… /coughs/ Okay, not doing that again. Anyway, thanks!


	21. Revealing Melding

**To Reveal All**

**Chapter 21: Revealing Melding**

**By steelphoenix**

* * *

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Rurouni Kenshin, or any of its characters. 

**Author's Notes:** Ummm… nothing much to write about, this chapter. There are several scenes here that you _must not_ miss.

(Rurouni: This one does not think they could afford to miss any scenes from any chapter, anyway, Nix-dono.

Nix: Well, duh! Why do you think I'm writing them, if they can miss them out?

Rurouni: Then why did you say that, then, Nix-dono?

Nix: …

Rurouni: This one was merely wondering, that he was.)

Grrr… Muses… Speaking of which, Battousai's still on 'holiday'. I hope he's enjoying it… /evil grin/

Please note, the next chapter will be somewhat late (and you are going to _hate_ me for saying that, when you get to the end of the chapter), but I have Summer School, and guess what that entails: yep, you got it! EXAMS! So I will be studying, and my sanity will be AWOL for the next week… don't expect an update for at least that amount of time…

**Language Notes: **Geisha debts were the debts a geisha had to pay for her upbringing, training, and lodging in the okiya. They were extensive, and while a popular geisha might pay them off within two years of becoming a full-fledged geisha, unpopular geishas could be saddled with them for anything up to ten years, or longer. The average was about six or seven years to pay them off. This is probably not the correct name for them, but I have no idea what else to call them.

A mon is a family crest. I have invented Kenshin's and Sokuya's. A 'tomoe' is a circle with a tail from it (like one half of a yin-yang sign).

**Warnings:** PG-13 for sexual situations/scenes and violence in other chapters. No language warnings.

* * *

Long days passed as Kenshin recovered from firstly the injuries he had received, and secondly the fever that had racked his small body. His days were mostly taken up with sitting on the veranda, reading or doing small household chores such as peeling vegetables. He had been utterly forbidden by all – especially Doctor Genzai and Kaoru – from doing anything more taxing, and while he sat at the side of the dojo when his students came, it was Sano who instructed them in their stances and strikes. 

The hours of doing very little left his mind restless. While his body grew stronger by the day, the lack of anything to do tugged uneasily at his thoughts.

And the cadence of those thoughts scared him.

Previously, he knew, his thoughts – the Rurouni's thoughts – would have a light tenor voice speaking them. And Battousai's teasing had a deeper, darker tone – almost bass, but not quite. Now, both had been superseded by a warm tenor, halfway between the two.

_I can't even control my own thought-voice,_ rippled the warm tones through his head.

But when he was in a dilemma, the warm voice disappeared, and he felt a strange dichotomy in his mind – half dark, half light. The two opposing voices returned, and spoke to each other.

The first time he had noticed that his thought-voice had changed, he had been thrown forcefully into just such a situation.

_It is merely the expression of both of us,_ said the Rurouni. _We don't have to worry about it, that we do not._

The deep tones of Battousai agreed. **_Yes, we have tried to meld so that both of us can be expressed in what Kenshin is._**

When Battousai agreed, Kenshin felt the cold dark melding with the cold light, returning to the warm halfway.

Somehow he felt whole again.

As the sides of himself grew more comfortable with the melding, he found himself expressing himself less like the Rurouni had. While the 'that it is' remained on the end of many of his sentences, his unfailing politeness began to slip away a little. Though still strangely formal, his sentences became less stilted.

Neither did he call Kaoru 'Kaoru-dono'. She was simply 'Kaoru', and the depth and warmth in his voice when addressing her did not surprise anyone.

His physical voice also deepened to the warm tenor, the Rurouni and the Battousai at last allowing Kenshin's true tones to express themselves. It was almost like a second adolescence, trying to find himself, though it was briefer and a lot less painful.

A mischievous sense of humour had also appeared. When he had bumped into Kaoru, tumbling them both over, he landing on top of her, he had not immediately blushed and stammered apologies, as the Rurouni would. Nor did he try to use the opportunity to seduce her, as Battousai would. A sly grin and an "Oh, this is nice," slipped out, before he rolled off, and helped her up.

A deep blush stained Kaoru's cheeks, and he thought she had muttered, "Nice…?" before she walked hurriedly off along the veranda.

He had fully realised what he had said a few minutes after, and he was plunged into guilt. _What did I say that for?_ came the now-familiar tenor. _Perhaps I should've apologised… but what about Kaoru? That blush…_

_But I didn't…_

_Kaoru was very embarrassed by what I did…_

**_But she liked it…_** The deeper voice emerged from wherever it had been hiding, and the answering voice lightened.

_We must be careful, Battousai… Kaoru may love us, but we must not do things which embarrass her._

A snicker. **_Yes, but we'd _like_ to do things which would embarrass her…_**

_We both have those fantasies, Battousai…_

_Silence._ The tenor voice flooded over the two bickering personalities. _I will not argue over Kaoru. I will not embarrass her._

Battousai and Rurouni were swallowed in the warm voice.

-

It was a week after Kenshin had been allowed to get up and sit on the veranda, and the sun was sinking into the west, a fat fruit splattered on rumpled-silk clouds.

He heard a clattering, and the dojo gate slid open. Kaoru entered, hurrying towards the dojo. She spotted him on the veranda – the magenta gi made him very conspicuous – and instantly changed tack, heading for him.

"Kenshin!" she called, and as she came closer, Kenshin took a better look at what she was wearing. She was in full geisha attire, from the exquisitely-embroidered kimono to the intricate hairstyle.

As she stopped in front of him, she handed him a package. "It's for you, Kenshin, I thought you could do with another gi –"

He interrupted, voice harsh."You are still working as a geisha?"

Confusion shot through her eyes, until she realised that this was the first time he had seen her in geisha garb since before he had proposed to her. "I'm sorry, Kenshin, I should have told you…" She watched the corners of his eyes turn down, and realised, _He's really hurt… and he knows I've got a danna…_

Jealousy swirled in Kenshin's eyes, and for the first time since the fight with Shishio, she actually noticed them. They were violet around the rims of the iris, but around the pupil was a golden ring, which flared out into tiny golden darts piercing the purple centre.

_Equally amethyst and amber. Equally Rurouni and Battousai… Kenshin, melded._

Despite the guilt that filled her for not telling Kenshin what she was doing, a flicker of joy lit her for a moment as she realised that Kenshin was healing. The two personalities were reconciling, and someday, they might even become one again.

"Kaoru?" came Kenshin's voice again, and she realised that she had missed his question. He saw her concentration return, and asked again. "Why are you continuing as a geisha?"

Kaoru's eyes and heart fell. She had known that this would come up sometime soon – sometime _very_ soon – but she had not prepared an answer, and so she stuttered through an explanation, tears filming her eyes, though she tried to blink them away.

"Well, the okiya mistress was very angry at me for staying away for three weeks – when you were unconscious – and she said that I had to earn enough to pay off the expenses for that time… and I still haven't paid off my geisha debts – I still have around a thousand ryo to pay off. I was very lucky that my danna didn't call for me… He pays me well…"

"Oh, Kaoru," said Kenshin, understanding only now that this was his fault. She had stayed away so long for his sake, and now, when he was at last able to appreciate her sacrifice, he was trying to censure her for its consequences.

The geisha looked up, her eyes wet despite her best efforts, and took in Kenshin's expression. Contrite and awkward, it said that he had realised what she was going through.

"I'm sorry, Kaoru… I should have realised, I should have thought, that I should… I'm sorry, that I am…"

"No… you've not been awake long enough… you didn't realise…" The tears were already disappearing, and her forlorn expression was moving to one of warmth and forgiveness. She went to him as he slipped off the veranda, and was gently gathered into his arms.

As they stood in the embrace, he gently murmured another 'Sorry' into her white-painted ear. Then he let go, and assisted her to sit on the edge of the veranda.

"When can you… finish this?" was the first question out of Kenshin's mouth, as he gestured to the elaborate kimono and hairstyle, the trappings of a geisha.

Kaoru shrugged lightly, movements constricted by her tight garments. "It depends. The okiya mistress may want me to stay on until I have paid all my debts – that could be two years or more – and I have to have approval of my danna to leave his service."

Kenshin winced. "And this is even with the two-thousand-ryo payoff, that it is?"

"Yes," replied Kaoru, agreeing with him, and sympathising with the wince. It cost a lot of money to keep a geisha, as a danna, but freeing one from service was even more expensive.

"I think I am going to have to ask Sano for a little more than he bargained for, that I am…"

-

Sano winced as Kenshin explained what he was wanting to do. A night at the dice tables wasn't unusual for the rooster-head, and shifting around between gambling houses wasn't unusual – he got kicked out far more than he should have.

But Kenshin's plan _was_ unusual. It involved the two of them pretending to get drunk, and then going around the gambling houses, doubling their money until they had won another sum such as Sano had won a little more than a month ago.

They were – quite literally – gambling on Kenshin's abilities to hear the sound of the dice falling, and his skill of prediction.

The night chosen was a festival night, and men were out gambling more than usual. "Stupid suckers get cheated more on festivals than any other time," muttered Sano as they made their way, fake-stumbling a few times.

Kenshin had been forced out of his magenta gi on the occasion, and was wearing a blue practice gi from the dojo. Neither was he wearing his sakabato at his hip. His hair had also had been washed through with baked tea-leaves, darkening it from its usual brilliant flame to a muddy brown. Sano had also donned a dojo gi.

"Damn gi," the tall man muttered. He was relatively unused to the long sleeves, but the disguise was to keep them from being too noticeable, because noticeable people who won big usually were paid a visit by the yakuza, and they were planning to come back in another couple of days, to do the same thing again.

"You should not complain, Sano, that you should not," said Kenshin, picking up on the complaints. "This one's abilities may yet help you free Megumi, that they could."

"What?" Sano's expression was flabbergasted. "You mean you'd do this for me… for Megumi… too?"

"Of course, Sano," replied the redhead. "This one thinks that if you save this money, there will be enough to free her, also, that there will."

The tall man paused momentarily, and realised that Kenshin was right. With the thousand ryo they had started with, they had already doubled their money. Though the four thousand he had won last month had already shrunk to around three thousand five hundred, tonight's winnings would top it up over four thousand again, and another few nights' successful gambling would easily bring in another two thousand.

-

The okiya door clattered open, and Kaoru looked up, startled. From where she knelt on the veranda outside her room, contemplating the garden, she could only see the mistress of the okiya bowing politely to whoever had come visiting.

She was expecting her danna, and was extremely nervous about what she was going to say to him regarding the possibility of her leaving his service, so she didn't pay full attention to the mistress' pleasantries until the man had halted next to her.

Kaoru rose carefully, keeping her eyes fixed to the ground. She raised them only slowly, her geisha training indicating that it was best to be graceful as possible in all actions, including the raising of the head.

_Ah, it's Sokuya,_ she thought, as she saw the white hakama and black haori that were so familiar – Sokuya wore nothing but traditional clothing when visiting the teahouse, and she saw no reason why he should change. The swordhilt gave her slight pause, but she reasoned that if her danna wished to wear a sword, he could.

Kaoru paused as she saw that the mon on the collar of the haori was different. Instead of the two white tomoe nose-to-tail around the black circle, she saw that the circle was cut by an 'X', and in the spaces were the long diamonds known as 'sword blades'.

Then her eyes rushed upwards, and flaming hair and two-colour eyes met her gaze. Conditioned geisha reflexes were the only thing that stopped her gasp, and with the okiya mistress in the background, she had to behave as a perfect geisha would.

"Himura Kenshin," she smiled, geisha mask in place, "May I offer you any of my services today?"

"Indeed, Kaoru-dono," replied Kenshin, eyes twinkling at the now-seldom-used nickname. "This one would like to speak with you."

Kaoru caught the tone of his voice, and the fact that he used 'speak' instead of 'talk'. Added to the full formal dress, there could be only one reason he was here. _He's going to formally propose,_ she realised. _But I thought…_

Before she could take in the enormity of what was happening – what was going to happen – there was another clatter, and the mistress disappeared. As she reappeared, bowing her way along the veranda, Kaoru saw Sokuya Jubei, her danna, following the petite woman.

The silver-haired man came up to Kaoru, all smiles, and Kaoru greeted him as formally as she had Kenshin. "Sokuya Jubei, may I offer you any of my services today?"

"Why, yes, Kaoru. I _would_ like you to attend a party I'm throwing for my friends tonight." Then he noticed Kenshin, and a slight frown creased his already-lined forehead. "Who is this young man, Kaoru?"

"Himura Kenshin," replied the redhead in question, bowing politely.

"Sokuya Jubei," returned the older man, bowing in return. "Why are you visiting Kaoru?" he asked, obviously confused as to why Kenshin was there.

"This one wished to speak with Kaoru," replied Kenshin. "This one would also like to speak with you, also, that I would."

The slight frown deepened, but Sokuya gestured politely to Kaoru's room. "Perhaps we can speak inside."

At Kenshin's nod of assent, the two men led the way into the room, with Kaoru and the okiya mistress – who had an inkling of what was going on – following demurely behind. There was a quick flurry of movement as Kaoru and the okiya mistress placed cushions, and then the four of them knelt, arranged at the corners of an invisible square. When they were seated, pleasantries broke out, and tea was brought in.

-

After tea, as they sat and sipped politely, Sokuya finally brought up the point that Kenshin and Kaoru had been waiting for.

"So, young man, what did you wish to speak to me of?" he asked, setting down his cup.

A tiny flicker of a smile crossed Kenshin's lips as he finally did what he had been rehearsing in his mind for the last week.

He bowed deeply to Kaoru, who was seated opposite him, and said, "This one, Himura Kenshin, would be deeply honoured if you, Kamiya Kaoru, would consent to be his wife, with the approval of your okiya mistress, Naoe Hoshi, and the permission of your danna, Sokuya Jubei."

Another flickering smile manifested itself as he got the speech off without a hitch. He knew that he didn't have to apply for the approval of the okiya mistress or Sokuya, but Naoe was the closest Kaoru had to a guardian, and Sokuya had been Kaoru's danna for nearly a year. It was politic to apply to them as well as to Kaoru.

As the full formality of the proposal sank into the silence, two faces in the room were confused.

The third, Kaoru's, was filled with joy. The geisha mask had been dropped in the face of the sheer bliss of Kenshin formally proposing, and seeking the approval of her danna and her okiya mistress. She had assumed that he would propose in front of their friends, and sort out the difficulties of freeing her from the geisha profession when she had accepted. By proposing in such a formal manner, he was taking complete responsibility for any problems and costs that might come up in her being freed, where they could have been shifted to the okiya, otherwise.

_He would go so far for me…?_ she asked herself, but as she looked across at him, into those incredible amethyst-wrapped-gold eyes, she saw the depth of love in them, and realised, _Yes, he loves me that much._

The okiya mistress was the first to speak. "Why do you wish to marry this geisha?"

Kenshin turned his head to her, red hair swishing gently. "Because I love her."

"That is _all?_" asked Sokuya, incredulous.

The redhead nodded once, his eyes fastening back on Kaoru.

"But… but… She cannot cook, she cannot clean, she cannot be anything other than a geisha!" exclaimed Naoe, horrified, disbelief overcoming politeness. "You are a dojo master… surely you need someone who will help you run the dojo, not simply look good around it!"

A grin shaped Kenshin's lips, and he replied, "Oh, I think Kaoru will do well in the dojo… the kitchen, maybe not…" – Kaoru's eyes darkened in a mock-glare – "…but she will do well in the dojo, that she will."

"Ah." The okiya mistress had just remembered the practices Kaoru did in the early morning, shinai swishing in the cool air.

Sokuya, however, was still confused. "In the dojo? What is it about the dojo?"

Kenshin turned towards him, to enlighten him. "Kaoru is a full-fledged Master of the Kamiya Kasshin Style of kenjutsu… you did not know?"

"No!" interrupted Kaoru. "It's not a good idea to tell your danna that you practise a masculine art! They would simply be put off!" Then she realised that she had spoken aloud, and a deep blush was visible even under the geisha makeup.

Kenshin simply smiled softly. This was his Kaoru, the too-impulsive, lovely young woman who was a geisha for a living and a kenjutsu expert by blood.

Sokuya had seen the look on the redheaded man's face, and suddenly, he realised why this young dojo master had been so eager to propose. The depth of feeling in his eyes as his eyes fell on Kaoru was incredible. As the danna watched, Kaoru's eyes lifted to Himura's, and he saw the same in her eyes.

_Is this what love truly is…?_ flashed across his mind. Watching the two, he saw them blush again, and lower their heads. Seeing the redheaded man knelt, head bent, an unwelcome memory rose, prodding at his recollection.

_Something's familiar about that pose…_

"I have seen you before, I think," said Sokuya, suddenly, addressing Kenshin. "Were you in Kyoto at the time of the Bakumatsu?"

Kaoru saw the muscles of Kenshin's shoulders tense under the haori and gi. _Dear Kami-sama, be merciful… don't let him recognise Kenshin…!_

Kenshin's head rose again, and as he looked at the older man with eyes slightly narrowed, though not in battle-expression. "Yes, I was in Kyoto during the Bakumatsu."

Sokuya's eyes had begun to narrow also. "Of the Ishin Shishi?"

"Yes, of the Ishin Shishi." Kenshin's reply was flat.

"I was also." Sokuya's statement was as flat as Kenshin's.

"Ah." It was an acknowledgement, nothing more, and the hand which had begun to creep across to Kenshin's swordhilt paused, and slipped down to rest in his lap, unnoticed by none but Kaoru.

Still Sokuya's eyes were narrowed suspiciously. _I know I've seen him – heard of him – known him – from somewhere…_

Then a memory flickered out from somewhere in the back of his mind. Standing across a courtyard, looking to where a redheaded man knelt, head bent. A man, saying, "_Battousai's going out tonight. That's him: red hair, cross-shaped scar, looks like a girl._"

The silver-haired man's eyes widened as he took in the man beside him. _Red hair, cross-shaped scar, looks like a girl. It all fits…_

"I see you have some idea of who I _was_." Kenshin's voice was calm.

Sokuya nodded, suddenly afraid. His answer was a mere whisper.

"Battousai."

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Evil cliffhanger… and you all thought I had no more surprises in store for you… /evil laughter/ Battousai gave me the inklings of this one, but I pulled it out all by myself… Try and guess what's going to happen next! 

If you're saying "But I never saw the okiya mistress' name before", don't worry… I only made it up this chapter. The Naoe family was a samurai family, and Hoshi means 'star'. However, if you're saying "But I've never seen Sokuya's name before", then you obviously didn't read the rewrites of the first few chapters… go back and do it…

**Review Replies:** Thanks to all my reviewers!

Brittanie Love – Thanks! And here's the update!

Peachie-Chan – Thanks for the link! And as for plushies…

Battousai/freshly returned from 'holiday', slightly traumatised/ AAAAAAHHHH/faints/

Peachie-Chan: Oro!

Nix/pokes Battousai/ Come on, Battousai, it can't have been that bad…

Battousai/wakes up/ AAAAAAHHHH/notices it's Nix/ NIX-CHAN/glomp/ Pleasepleaseplease don't ever do that to me again…

I'm sorry, Peachie, but he's a little… er… upset… right now…

(Sorry again to evilteddybear and Raeyn-chan for mischaracterisation…)

scythe195 – Whoa, another long-long-long review! Thanks! And for the manga and DVDs… /goes off into happy daze at so much RK/ 'Craptacular' was borrowed from Sylvia off Neko Machi – a crazy-and-very-fun webcomic. Never mind at being crappy at kendo… it's all a matter of talent, which some of us just don't have. BTW, you can have the Toaster Of Doom back /hands aforementioned appliance (wrapped in copious amounts of duct tape) back to scythe, because I really need Rurouni to be my Muse…

Crewel – I thought you would like the last chapter, and I wrote it with you in mind. I'm glad you agree with what Sano did – I, at least, think that it would be OOC for him to take advantage of a woman, especially one he cares about so much. Marriage is a question that will be answered later… when it isn't giving away the plot!

Kaede-Rukawa-ice-prince – More more indeed! Never mind the bit about being hentai… I _was_ kidding, you know.

inuyasha/kenshin gurl /scratches head/ I thought I said that… oh well… anyway… MERINGUES ALL AROUND/throws meringues in random directions/ It's all well and good for it to be fluffy, but I'm trying for Drama, Characterisation, and Emotional Connections (please note the capital letters) as well… /grins/

Bradybunch4529 – Yay! Another person who agrees with my writing of the SxM scenes! I'm glad you liked the final statement. I sat there for a good ten minutes, trying to decide how to finish it, before I thought of that /laughs/

Rurouni/coughs pointedly/

…Alright, Rurouni helped me with that one… Anyway, thanks, and enjoy!

anime-luney – Yep, you were my first reviewer for chapter 19! Never mind if you can't think of anything to say… At least I know you liked that chapter! That was what you were trying to say, right/grin/

kenshinlover2002 – /grin/ I know, Megumi was _really_ sloshed – I meant for her to be a little more sane, but oh well… it turned out okay! I was going to make it a sex scene – I'm a hentai at heart, I think…

Rurouni/coughs/ Not just at heart…

…Hey! But anyway… I think Sano would certainly have enough control, especially since he knew she was drunk. It would have harmed their relationship too much, though.

DakBug – True love is certainly different from sex – though a surprising amount of people seem to be unable to differentiate the two, which is disappointing. As for a KxK scene… watch this space, is all I can say. I may or may not write it.

Hatoriscute – Updated… soon/grin/

onee-chan – Yep, sweet and fluffy – meringue! As for being a hentai… I _was_ kidding.

Battousai/cowering beneath Nix's computer table/ I don't like hentais…

Nix/pats Battousai on the head/ Come on, I won't lend you out any more.

Battousai/glomps Nix/ Thankyouthankyouthankyou!

…Who'd have thought that the invincible Battousai was afraid of yaoi? Never mind, some of us are hentai, some of us aren't.

kitsune – Yeah, poor guy. But considering the wounds he sustained, it's surprising that he wasn't worse off. Err… Battousai has something to say…

Battousai/fully recovered from 'holiday'/ I wasn't the one who made the vow not to kill. That was the Rurouni… wuss… and I have killed women before… when they got in my way, or they witnessed what I did. So you are not out of danger yet… /evil grin/

…Don't worry, I'll stop him… somehow… Anyway, here's the next chapter! Bring it on!

Crisa Rei – Yep, you're allowed to say 'ass'… I don't mind… But yep, Sano is soooo sweet… I may have made it a little _too_ sweet… /sweatdrops/ Yes, Misao noticed – she's a ninja after all! And the KxK bit was too sweet not to leave in… TOO MUCH MERINGUE/sweatdrops/ But anyway, I hope you liked this chapter, and its moments!

RangerDo'Urden – Glad you think I got it in character! And as for Sano's reaction… hehe, you are one of the non-hentais among us, I think! Keep it up, but you know the dark side is calling… /laugh/

Seifer Katt – Thanks so much for reading/kiss/

Battousai and Rurouni: Eeeeewww!

…oh shut up, you two. If it was you and Kaoru… Glad you liked the fluff!

thechickenlittle2000 – Glad you liked it! Yay for SxM fluff! And Rurouni's here to say something…

Rurouni: No, it is strange, that it is! As this one said, he does not get the chance to tease the Battousai often…

Battousai: And that's a good thing…

…As for Battousai being okay – well he seems to be relatively unscarred… /yells/ YAOI!

Battousai/dives for the cover of Nix's computer table/

…well, relatively…


	22. Revealing Release

**To Reveal All**

**Chapter 22: Revealing Release**

**By steelphoenix**

* * *

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Rurouni Kenshin, or any of its characters. However, I do own Sokuya Jubei, Naoe Hoshi, Kasumi and Ikumi! I borrowed the names for my meikos (Kagome, Hinata, and Touru) from Inuyasha, Naruto, and Fruits Basket.

**Author's Notes:** MAJOR apologies for the lateness of this chapter, everyone. I had exams, and so couldn't really write without a mathematical formual popping into my head. Thanks for waiting. And now to end the horrible cliffhanger which I inflicted on you guys last week… I hope you're not disappointed with it…

TO ALL MY REVIEWERS: You guys rock. Totally. I checked my stats page, and I'm like, "Whoa, a hundred and ninety-one reviews!" Then I looked again… and it was _two_ hundred and ninety-one reviews.

Battousai: And then she fainted…

…not quite, but nearly. So, a huge big 'thank you' to you all. /hands out meringues with '291' iced on top/

**Language Notes:** Kanji are the Chinese characters/iconographs used in writing in Japan.

**Warnings:** PG-13 for sexual situations/scenes and violence in other chapters. No language warnings.

* * *

Sokuya's eyes were narrowed suspiciously. _I know I've seen him – heard of him – known him – from somewhere…_

Then a memory flickered out from somewhere in the back of his mind. Standing across a courtyard, looking to where a redheaded man knelt, head bent. A man, saying, "_Battousai's going out tonight. That's him: red hair, cross-shaped scar, looks like a girl._"

The silver-haired man's eyes widened as he took in th's eyes widened as_ he took in ths-shaped scar, looks like a girl. It all fits…_

"I see you have some idea of who I _was_." Kenshin's voice was calm.

Sokuya nodded, suddenly afraid. His answer was a mere whisper.

"Battousai."

-

At Sokuya's announcement of Kenshin's former battle-name, Naoe's eyes widened, then rolled back in her head, and she keeled over in a dead faint. The two men did not notice, their gazes locked.

As their eyes remained fixed on each other's, frightened brown on fierce amethyst-amber, Kaoru moved silently off her pillow to tend to the okiya mistress. A few gentle shakes woke the woman, and she sat up in a rush. Seeing the two men frozen in place, she unconsciously moved backwards, fear written on her features.

_I have to stop this,_ thought Kaoru. She knew that she was the only one who had some semblance of control over Battousai. From the shifting colours in Kenshin's eyes, and the way they were slanted dangerously close to battle-expression, she could tell that the two spirits within him were battling for control. The warrior spirit was aching to be let loose, and the peaceful one was not daring to let him go, for the Rurouni could not stop him once he was free.

Kaoru's suspicions were correct. The warm tenor of the melded Kenshin had been split once more into dark and light. Battousai and Rurouni were once again clear, and they were fighting for power.

**_He knew who we were. He cannot be allowed to live!_** Battousai was adamant.

_No! There are many who know what we were. Would you kill them all?_ The Rurouni's tone was pleading, but held the tiniest hint of slyness.

**_Yes!_** replied Battousai, too determined to notice the veiled tone.

Then the hint in the Rurouni's voice became full-fledged. _Even Kaoru?_

Frustration filled the space between the two as the warrior spirit realised he had been tricked. Rurouni was devious, but cunning alone was not what should decide this. He turned their body to where Kaoru knelt, breaking eye-contact with Sokuya.

Just as he did, Kaoru shuffled forwards on her knees, towards him.

"Kenshin?" Her voice was soft and enquiring, with the most minuscule ripple of disappointment running through it.

_Is she… disappointed…?_ questioned the Rurouni, surprised at the tone he detected.

_**I cannot read any other emotion…** _replied Battousai, nonplussed.

"Kenshin, I thought you were stronger than this," said Kaoru, the disappointment strengthening in her tone. Her eyes were fierce and determined. "Battousai, you cannot kill him. Nor can you let Battousai go, Rurouni. You both know what would happen. And I'll tell you both, if you try to kill, or let the other kill, I will never speak to you again."

It was an immature threat, but the mere thought of it was repulsive to both sides of Kenshin.

"Yes…" Both Rurouni and Battousai allowed the hiss of agreement to escape their lips.

**_We cannot kill him, then. I do not wish to lose her over someone so worthless to both of us._** The warrior spirit's capitulation was a sigh of frustration, and yet it held pride. Pride that Kaoru had done as he knew she would. Pride that this woman would stand up to him, unafraid. Pride that he had chosen such a woman to be his wife.

Rurouni's reply held a smile. _I do not wish to lose her, either, Battousai._

-

The swirling eyes settled, returning to the strange and beautiful gold surrounded by purple. Tense muscles relaxed, and Kenshin's hands returned to the sides of the cushion, away from the so-tempting swordhilt.

Kenshin's head fell down, relaxing onto his chest, red fringe covering his eyes from view. A deep breath in and out, and he raised his head again.

In front of him, he saw Kaoru's beloved face, and the bliss that he saw in it made it even more beautiful. Pride shone in her eyes, and he could clearly read it: it said that she knew that the two personalities had reconciled on something, finally, and she was proud of him for the fact that the two of them were finally truly making peace – of a sort.

Sweeping his gaze to the other two people in the room, he saw that Sokuya had recovered somewhat, his fear slowly relaxing to a more normal expression. But the okiya mistress still shivered, her gaze flickering away from Kenshin's as it passed her.

"You will not speak of this." was all Kenshin said, voice edged, eyes flickering more amber than they should have been.

The okiya mistress cast a fearful glance at the redhead, her head bobbing madly as she nodded.

Sokuya nodded once. _He has a chance of a life with a woman he loves… who loves him, despite what he has been… why taint him with the Battousai's name again? It will only bring grief. I can give him – and through him, Kaoru – that warrior's mercy, at least._

-

A long silence passed as all gathered their thoughts, wondering what should be said, or done, next. Sokuya, thinking of the warrior's mercy, broke it.

"Kaoru," he said, and his tone was affectionate as he addressed the young woman, "I will give you my blessing." At the gasp from Kaoru, and the slight widening of Himura's – Battousai's – eyes, he continued, with a twinkle in his eye. "You are a young woman who has become a dear friend to me in my failing years. You are compassionate, kind, and you have never failed to cheer me up when I needed it most. You deserve a young man who will lavish such care and attention on you as you have on me. I saw the looks that passed between you two, and I believe that what I saw was love."

Immediately, Kaoru's blush was visible through her white makeup, and Kenshin's face nearly matched his hair. To have someone intercept such an intimate communication was embarrassing.

Sokuya smiled gently at their discomfort. "I only hope that I can find a geisha, or mistress, or even perhaps a wife, that will allow me to try and find the same feeling with her."

Kaoru's expression filled with relief and gentleness, and her elation covered her tone as she returned, "Thank you, sir. I can only hope that you will."

Though the same emotions filled him, Kenshin replied more formally, with a deep bow. "This one also hopes that you will." _Halfway there…_ he thought, and turned to the okiya mistress.

The woman's brown eyes refused to meet his, and she turned to Kaoru, choosing the safer person to address. "I will release you, as long as your geisha debts are paid, and you pay the two-thousand-ryo recompense."

Kaoru blinked. Naoe was usually one to drive a hard bargain. _Why did she give in so easily?_ she thought for a second, and then saw the flickering, fearful look cast at Kenshin, and she realised that Naoe was afraid of Kenshin – or more correctly, the Battousai within him.

Sokuya nodded, and said to Kaoru, "Well, my dear, it seems your release is settled." He stood, Kaoru and Kenshin following his lead, and the silver-haired man leaned over and kissed Kaoru on the cheek. "Please accept my best wishes for your happiness together," he said, a benevolent smile on his face as he took in the two standing together, a little closer than okiya proprieties would allow.

Then, ignoring the still-seated okiya mistress, he bowed to the couple, and walked away along the veranda.

-

Kenshin bowed deeply as he handed a small slip of paper to Naoe. Its intricate scrollwork and formal calligraphy indicated that it was a bank order, totalling three thousand ryo.

This was the first time the okiya mistress had had to handle the release of a geisha, and it was certainly the first time she had held a piece of paper worth so much. _I wonder how Himura managed to get it?_ she wondered idly, then, as she remembered swirling amber-amethyst eyes, she unconsciously shivered.

Quickly, she moved her mind away from those thoughts, and with the bank order in her hand, money was the first thing she thought of. _Kaoru leaving won't make much of a difference to finances._ _She was never one of the great earners, though she did well enough_. She may have been losing one of her geishas – and thus, one of her income sources – but there were still four other geishas and three meiko living and earning in the okiya. The okiya's prosperity could only increase.

-

Kenshin strolled along the passageway, to Kaoru's room. Sliding open the screen, he viewed the chaos within. A full-scale clean-up was in operation. Kaoru had lived in this room since she became a full-fledged geisha, and the cupboards were full of things she had long ago forgotten.

It had started off as Kaoru packing her belongings to go, but Megumi and Tae had come to give her best wishes, and had been coerced into helping too. Kasumi and Ikumi, the two other geishas of the okiya, had chanced by at the wrong time, and they too had been put to work – not at all unwillingly, for they were both friendly enough with Kaoru to want to help anyway.

Tae was in one corner, sliding open kimono racks and neatly folding their contents into two neat piles, tissue paper placed between the beautiful kimonos. Most of these were the okiya's, placed in Kaoru's room because she was their most frequent wearer, but there was also a pile of eight fancy kimonos that belonged to Kaoru herself.

Kasumi was packing Kaoru's makeup, intent on a black lacquer box. Tiny pots of rouge and cream were mingled in with numerous brushes and sponges, but all fitted perfectly into the sakura-decorated box. A matching mirror sat beside it, and the pile of tissue paper indicated that Kaoru was taking it too.

The shoji that led into the garden were open, but no-one was looking at the view. On the veranda, Megumi and Ikumi were struggling with Kaoru's futon, trying to get its various pieces to fold into a trunk, with little success.

Kaoru was also struggling. Somehow, she had managed to wedge a pair of bokkens into the cupboard, but then had evidently lowered the shelves, for they were now firmly stuck. Grinning at his beloved's predicament, Kenshin walked into the room, unnoticed, and went over to help.

"I think you should lift the shelves first," he whispered into Kaoru's ear. With a shriek of surprise, she whirled, hands striking out as if she were carrying one of the weapons she was trying to extract.

Godlike speed allowed the redhead to catch her hands before they could do any damage, but it was close. Grinning impudently, he lifted the woman's fists, and laid a kiss on each set of knuckles. "You will have to be quicker than that if you wish to catch this one, Kaoru."

Kaoru's shriek had also attracted the attention of the geishas, and as they saw the kisses on her hands, the two who knew Kenshin thought, _Kenshin's being mischievous again…_ The other two were sizing Kenshin up, and their first thought was inevitably about his unusual looks. The second was, _Damn… I wish he wasn't taken…_

"So, Kaoru, shall we try this together?" questioned the redhead. At a nod from Kaoru, they lifted the offending shelf out. The chatter between the geishas resumed, and Kenshin was unofficially pulled into the working group.

-

At long last, all Kaoru's belongings rested in the centre of the room, and the pile was surprisingly small. Each of the geishas picked up a bundle, and carried them out and along the veranda, to the back entrance of the okiya. Kenshin followed after, lugging the trunk with Kaoru's futon, the last three bundles balanced (rather precariously) on top.

The cart that stood at the entrance was small and tidy, and the driver's seat was taken by Yahiko.

As Kenshin and Yahiko loaded the cart, Kaoru said her farewells. There were embraces from all the other geishas, and the meikos, who had just returned from the morning's classes.

"Well, Kaoru, we're going to miss you," said Tae. "Especially your tea." Kaoru's nearly-undrinkable tea had been a running joke between the geishas, especially Tae, who was admired as one of the best geishas at tea ceremony. But now, the tease was said with wet eyes, and a slight sob to the voice.

"Yes, we won't have to call the doctor so often!" Kasumi's high-pitched giggle was joined by the others', but only weakly, and the joke fell rather flat.

Best wishes were given by Ikumi and the meikos. Kagome, Hinata, and Touru presented Kaoru with origami fans, symbolising happiness, their purple creases the colour of love.

Tsubame's hug was close and tight, holding close the woman she had come to regard as a sister. As she pulled away, Kaoru whispered in her ear, "I hope to see you at the dojo, younger sister."

_Kaoru'll help me with being a geisha? _At the implication, Tsubame's lips curved upwards. She needed as much help as she could get. But then another thought struck her._ Does she mean that she hopes I'll really be her younger sister…?_

Kaoru smiled at the blush that rose in the girl's cheeks. Yahiko was still working at the okiya, and it didn't take much to figure out the obvious jump Tsubame's thoughts had taken.

Then she turned to Megumi. The older woman's face shone with joy at Kaoru's release, but glimmering trails of sorrow tracked her cheeks.

"Well, younger sister?" asked Megumi, waving a hand to Kenshin, who was now waiting behind her. Her tone was questioning and teasing, but held the slightest whisper of bitterness. "Why do you stand there, when you have a wonderful man waiting for you, and a new home to go to?"

Kaoru's reply was simple, formal, eloquent. "Because, older sister, I could not say goodbye without telling you how much I have truly appreciated your support, your guidance, your love. You are truly a sister to me, and I wish to acknowledge that."

With the most elegant, practiced grace of a geisha, she bowed fully.

"Megumi, my sister in all things, I wish to give you a gift which is worth but a little to my love for you."

As she rose from the bow, she turned to Kenshin, who held out a package to her. Kaoru folded the fragile petals of tissue paper open, revealing an expanse of lightest purple silk. Unfolding the layer of the silk, she showed the design on the front of the kimono.

The pale mauve faded through a mist of white to a gentle sage green at the hem. A crane leaping into flight spread its wings, its red crest a splash of brilliant crimson at the knee of the kimono. Embroidered at the hem were reeds, intricately coloured and curved, and subtly shaped themselves into three kanji – blessing, charity, and mercy, the meanings of Megumi's name.

Megumi gasped at the exquisite beauty of the garment, and as Kaoru folded the tissue back into place, and handed the packet to her, she said, "I… I don't know how to thank you, Kaoru… this is…"

"This is _my_ thanks, Megumi. For everything." And the sapphire-eyed woman took the maroon-eyed woman into a tight embrace, the package pressed between them, close to their hearts.

-

That night, Kaoru sat on the dojo's veranda, watching the sky darken as night set in. Stars began to show in the dark blanket, tiny points of light that grew as the orb of the sun fell.

Soft footsteps scuffed along the veranda, behind her, and as she looked up, Kenshin lowered himself to the wood beside her.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Kaoru's voice was hushed as she gazed at the peach-streaked sunset.

"Yes, that it is," replied the redhead, following her gaze to purple-splashed clouds. He gently folded his arm around her waist, and a comfortable silence settled between them, broken only occasionally by movement or a quick smile at the other. The stillness of night came gently, and they simply sat and watched as the glow faded from the sky.

As the moon began to rise, Kaoru finally broke the silence. "It's strange, but that is the last sunset I shall ever see as a geisha."

"Kaoru… you don't regret giving it up, do you?" Kenshin's tone held implied worry, but Kaoru's quick smile to him belied it, and her answer did so even more.

"I never really wished to be a geisha, I think… But I had no other option. Once Father was dead, my fate was sealed… We were very lucky not to end up on the street – thieves or whores – and I was incredibly lucky to be taken in by a good okiya mistress…" Her voice trailed off as she thought through the possibilities, the paths that her life could have taken.

Kenshin's arm tightened around her waist. "But you have broken your fate, that you have… You are no longer the girl whose father died, no longer the geisha… You are here, safe, mine, and I will not let you go, _that I will not_." The answer was thoughtful, but the edge of possession in the last sentence tugged at Kaoru's pride. _I am his…_

"You've claimed me…?" It was a question that had never occurred to her before, and her voice held a loving, teasing note.

Kenshin nodded, turning towards her, nuzzling in at her shoulder. The gesture was both possessive and protective, and his reply was muffled by hair as dark as the new night.

"I cannot let you go, not now… not so close…" The tone was gentle, yet was backed by steel, and there was a strange double harmony to his voice. Both sides of Kenshin loved Kaoru, and would do anything to keep her.

Then the nuzzling ceased, and his body tensed as he moved backwards, turning her to look in his eyes. "You don't… want to… _leave me_… do you!" The voice was hushed and harsh, and Kaoru could see the colours of his eyes begin to meld and move.

"No!" she snapped out instantly, and the eyes stopped wheeling. "No…" she repeated. "I want… I want to no longer be a geisha. I want to be a normal woman… I want to be yours…"

The relief that dawned on Kenshin's face was instantly comforting, and he pulled her close again.

"Please, beloved," she whispered, almost into his ear, "I love you. I don't want to leave." _Never. I'll never, ever leave you,_ added her mind.

"Kaoru…" a breathy exhalation, her name, and he pulled her into him as though to swallow her up.

Hauled ever-closer, she murmured into his ear again. "I'll never leave you…"

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Weeeelll… just a little evening of the situation for Kaoru there… she's always the one left behind… why shouldn't Kenshin get that sometimes, too? I always felt it was unfair that she was always having to worry about waking to a 'Dear Kaoru-dono' letter.

And before you all ask, no, this is not yet finished. I know I said that it was probably going to another three chapters long when I was at Chapter 19, but… Battousai's added the twisted bit with Sokuya, and Rurouni wants more meringue… DAMN MUSES/screams in frustration/

**Review Replies:** Thanks to all my reviewers!

evilteddybear – Thanks! Here's more!

Brittanie Love – Yes, it was evil, wasn't it! Anyway, I hope you don't mind the way I ended it. Here's the update.

Crisa Rei – Thanks again for pointing out the edit mistake! As for falling off the cliffhanger…/puts down big gymnastics mat/ land on that… As for comparing my work to chocolate… mmm, yummy! I'm honoured!

Zenegami – Thank you very, _very_ much for your so-helpful review. Constructive criticism like yours is just what every writer needs. I don't mind the fact that it's a bit 'old-school' and keeps to the conventions, after all, this is my first (published) long fic. I'll try to get more interesting with my work. As for writing a bit much/winces/ sorry about that… I do tend to be a little too long-winded.

reader00 – You're welcome!

scythe195 – I know, it's a bit overdramatic, isn't it/sweatdrops/ But yes, you must wait for the next update… heh, you know you have to… patience is a virtue. As for stealing Battousai…

Battousai: I don't know how to cook, dammit! So _give back my weapons! NOW!_

Nix: Please, Battousai, be polite. She said you can see Kaoru.

Battousai/growls/ I don't want to just _see_ Kaoru…

Nix: …errr… that's dodgy, Battousai.

Battousai: And that's a problem why…/hand nearing where katana hilt should be/ Dammit! scythe, _give back my weapons… OR ELSE!_

…he doesn't like being temporarily unarmed… But here's the update… no need to be scared/hands chapter to scythe/ And while you're distracted by reading… /steals Battousai's weapons back, hands them to aforementioned Muse, who goes into a corner to check that they're okay/

nilnil – Thanks!

DragonBlade666 – Kenshin was a little too bold there, but it doesn't matter. I like the drama… though, as I said to scythe195, it's a little _over_dramatic…

inuyasha/kenshin gurl – Well, here's your answer. I hope you liked the update!

kenshinlover2002 – Sokuya was scared… wouldn't you be? But as you see, they didn't deny Kenshin Kaoru… I wouldn't deny Battousai anything, personally.

Battousai/loud raspberry/

…well, mostly, anyway.

Amanda – Thanks very much. /bows/

Thefunnymonkey – Never reviewed! Shock, horror! Never mind, just kidding. But partially obsessed with TRA…/blinks/ Wow… There isn't much more TRA, but I can tell you that there will be more fanfic coming from me! Arigato gozaimasu!

Anonymous Miss – Sorry about the cliffhanger… Here's the next chapter, hope it fulfils expectations!

Peachie-Chan – No, Battousai doesn't hate you, he was just a little traumatised after his 'holiday'.

Battousai/through clenched teeth and Peachie's hug/ True. _BUT_. I. Hate. Hugs. From anyone other than Kaoru.

…So, it's possibly not a good idea to glomp him _too_ frequently.

kitsune – Didn't you read the rest of the reply (Battousai's part, I mean)? And he wouldn't let martial arts get in the way of him… But like I said, I'll try to stop him. Something along the lines of 'I'll lend you out for yaoi if you don't stay in line'. Not that that'll hold him for long…

Rurouni: This one suggests that you start running, that this one does.

chizuru-chan – That's the first one-word review I've ever had… Aw? What's that supposed to mean? Is that disgust, or happiness, or what? Please… elaborate! I'm not psychic, and I am easily confused!

Crewel – Thanks! But who said that there's going to be a happy ending for Sano and Megumi/grin/ I can't say right now how they end up… but you'll see in a couple of chapters' time.

thechickenlittle – Thanks for the remarks about the chapter. Now, I want to clear something up right here… I've _never_ asked Battousai or Rurouni to do yaoi… nor do I have any intentions of doing so (now, anyway).

Battousai: What was the 'yet' for? Anyway, chickenlittle, thanks for caring… unlike _someone._ /glares at Nix, who whistles innocently/ I wouldn't mind being 'borrowed' for a while… she still has Rurouni as a Muse, and you probably won't be as sadistic with me as she is…

Nix: Oi! I'm not sadistic!

Battousai: …okay, not all the time. I'm not cutting back on the bloodshed, by the way… I like it. /evil grin/

…and that's why I don't let him do the fight scenes… But anyway, you can borrow Battousai for a while… perhaps we could work together, to try and keep him under control and Musing correctly? I dunno how Chrono is, but Battousai can be a real handful sometimes…


	23. Revealing Joining

**To Reveal All**

**Chapter 23: Revealing Joining**

**By steelphoenix**

* * *

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Rurouni Kenshin, or any of its characters.

**Author's Notes:** Too much meringue in this chapter. You have been warned. Though you expect it of me by now, don't you?

Arigato gozaimasu to Crewel for sending me some SxM fanart – I can't direct you all to it yet, because it's on my e-mail/sweatdrops/ but I can say thanks!

I have no idea where Kenshin managed to get to a waterfall in Tokyo without going a long way or flashing someone, but give me artistic licence, please! Ladies, enjoy… Naked Kenshin, need I say more?

Battousai: That's just… sick…

Rurouni: Nix-dono, you should be less perverted, that you should!

Nix: …It's artistic… um… expression!

Battousai and Rurouni/sweatdrop/

**Language Notes:** Misogi is purification, usually by washing, ranging from the customary rinsing of mouth and hands before worship to standing naked under a waterfall.

'Haru Kasumi' means 'Springtime Haze'… according to my Japanese dictionary, anyway…

Misao's attack Kecho-Geri (Monster Bird Kick) is best seen in the anime.

A shinobi is another name for a ninja.

The harai-gushi is a branch used by the Shinto priest in a purification ceremony, during various ceremonies, and a miko is a Shinto priestess/female dedicate.

**Warnings:** PG-13 for sexual situations/scenes and violence in other chapters. No language warnings.

* * *

Kenshin stood under the waterfall, its cool cascade chilling him as he allowed the water to flow over his naked form in the traditional misogi.

_Kami-sama knows, I've got enough to cleanse myself of._

Flashes of duels and massacres fought their way through his mind, and he forced them back, not wanting this day to be tainted by his past.

_Such a day… such a perfect day…_ He looked at the lightening sky through the curtain of water that purified him, and saw that the few clouds in the sky were tinted pink with the new day.

He had slept well that night, but in the early hours of the morning, he had awakened from a nightmare – one of the all-too-familiar dreams of battle.

Feeling tainted by the scent of blood that he could still unaccountably smell, he rose, pulling on his gi and hakama, and slipped out into the darkness.

Making his way to the Haru Kasumi waterfall, he had waded into the water and stood, trying to wash the blood off his soul.

It was dawning to be a perfect early-summer day – clear and warm – when a shout distracted him from his contemplation of what was to happen.

"Kenshin, you shouldn't be in there, you've just gotten over a fever!" The yell was from the bank, and Kenshin stepped out from under the torrent. Shaking the water from his eyes and hair, he waded over to where a spiky-haired man stood by his clothes.

"I merely came here because I wished to fully cleanse myself for today, that I did." His reply was level and calm, and he picked up the towel he had brought, beginning to dry himself. He had scarcely pulled on his loincloth when Sano grabbed the towel, and rubbed it enthusiastically on his hair.

"Wait – ow! – Sano, wait! – ouch! – Dammit, Sano, STOP IT!" Kenshin snatched the towel back, but the damage was done. The red thatch of hair on his head was now a puffy, tangled mess.

Sano grinned at the redhead's discomfort. "Ooops, sorry?"

Kenshin raised an eyebrow as he ran his fingers through his knotted mane. "You did that on purpose, that you did."

The tall man didn't deny it. "Yep."

Kenshin merely sighed, and pulled on his gi and hakama, and led the way back to the dojo.

-

Kaoru's hands shook as she tied the belt of her nagajuban. The knot wouldn't flatten, and she just ended up twisting the belt and making a horrible mess.

"Here, Kaoru, let me do that." Megumi's deft hands took the knot out of her hands gently, and Kaoru sighed with relief as the older woman's fingers picked at the tangle. As the snarled fabric came loose, Kaoru reached down, to attempt the tie again, but Megumi stilled her hands.

"I think you've done enough damage for now. We'll do this." With quick movements, she straightened the nagajuban, which Kaoru had also managed to crease, and tied it perfectly. "Tae!" she called across the room.

The other geisha, who was fussing with Kaoru's kimono on its stand in the corner, looked up. "Yes?"

"We have a very nervous woman here, who needs to be dressed in less than an hour. I need help, since Kaoru isn't much good for anything."

Kaoru, however, wasn't distracted enough that the remark went unnoticed. "Megumi!" she retorted, indignant. The fox-woman's grin sparkled up at her, and Kaoru realised that the teasing was to put her at ease.

The nagajuban in place, Tae brought over the kimono Kaoru was to wear, the white shiro-maku, its name meaning 'white-pure'.

The wedding kimono.

As Tae held open the sleeves, slipping them onto Kaoru's arms easily, Megumi folded the flaps across Kaoru's chest, crossing them, and tying the belt in place. Gently smoothing the material and tying the next belt, she softly said, "Kaoru, remember, we are with you in whatever – _whatever_ – you choose to do."

Tae nodded in agreement, though Kaoru couldn't see it. "You're our sister – not blood, but heart. We'll support you."

Kaoru gave a weak laugh at the tones in their voices. _I can hear joy, reassurance, hope… even a little jealousy?_ "You sound like you're trying to talk me out of marrying Kenshin."

Equally weak laughs greeted her feeble joke, and Megumi remarked, "It sounded like it, didn't it?" Kaoru's affirmative brought the first real laughter of the day, and she relaxed slightly at the companionable sound.

Tae shuffled over to the kimono rack, and lifted off the ice-white obi, bringing the cords and ties necessary for tying the complicated wedding pattern.

As the two geishas busied themselves tying the long sash around her, Kaoru stood silent, allowing her mind to flow.

_I suppose this was destined to happen… when he told me that he loved me, that he wanted to marry me…_

_But I didn't know that I loved him then…_

_Though I think that I did know, in a strange way…_ Then she shook her head. She was thinking too much. All that she needed to know was that she loved Kenshin, and she wanted to marry him.

Wanted to spend the rest of her life with him… It was an incredible, wonderful feeling, but terrifying as well. While she would always have someone to support her and be with her through her best moments, he would also see all her worst moments, know the worst parts of her character.

A fresh set of shudders shook her frame as Megumi wound the obi cord around her waist. The older woman moved around to the front of Kaoru, and taking Kaoru's hands, she gently lifted them, and caressed them reassuringly.

"Kaoru, there's no need to worry. No need at all." Tae added her agreement from behind Kaoru, patting her shoulder. When the shudders stopped, the fox-woman gently hugged Kaoru around the shoulders, taking care not to crease the kimono.

Kaoru laughed shakily. "It's not that I'm worried… I'm just nervous… This is the biggest step I've ever taken on my own…"

"You're _not_ on your own, Kaoru –" began Tae, but the bride interrupted.

"By my own decision, I mean." She turned to the geisha, and continued, "This is the biggest decision that I have ever made. Ever. I'm stepping out into the unknown, stepping off a precipice, and hoping that there's an invisible bridge…"

Megumi smiled at her younger sister's analogy. "One mistake there, Kaoru. There isn't a bridge." As Kaoru turned to her, confusion in her face, Megumi added, "But I know Kenshin will be there to catch you."

A warm smile, a genuine smile, curved Kaoru's lips at the correction.

-

The black haori on Kenshin's back warmed as he stood outside the shrine, waiting. The afternoon was about halfway through, and the sun was beginning to fade from the fierce heat of a summery midday.

Sano stood next to him, looking smart for once in black gi, grey hakama and black haori. His outfit bore what he regarded as his mon: the 'aku' character in white, surrounded by the traditional white circle.

A movement at the shrine's gate caught their attention, and they turned to see who it was.

Disappointingly, it wasn't Kaoru and her two 'sisters'. Instead, it was two people that were invited, but not expected: A tall, black-haired man, and a short woman.

"Hey, Shinomori!" yelled Sano to the tall man, "Thought you weren't coming!"

Aoshi nodded silently to both men, but Misao was slightly more verbose in her greeting. "Hello, Sano, Kenshin! How are you, Kenshin? Are you nervous? I was talking to Kaoru yesterday, and she said that she was. Mind you, you said that you were too when I asked you last. I would think that anyone would be…"

The young woman's chatter filled the silence that hung over the two men, and Kenshin actually gave a few real, if slightly shaky, smiles at her comments. Sano laughed at his friend's expression when Misao commented that, "Aoshi-sama said that someone's wedding is the most important step of their lives." Kenshin looked like he couldn't decide between smiling and fainting.

Misao was wearing a kimono for the occasion, and her hair had been scraped back into a traditional style also. That was probably the reason why, when Yahiko and Tsubame raced in the gate, slightly out of breath, the young man took in the group, and immediately said, "Where's ninja girl?"

"I'm right _here_, you idiot…" Misao turned, a vein popping in her forehead. Forgetting that she was in a kimono, she leapt, crying, "Kecho-Geri –!" The constricting skirt got in the way, and she lost her balance midair. Thankfully, Aoshi reached out, catching her before she hit the ground.

"Uumm… t-thank you, A-Aoshi-sama…" she stammered as he placed her down on her feet. No-one, except the woman in question, missed the soft look that passed over Aoshi's face in the second that he looked at Misao. She had been distracted by the stately progress of the three women that had followed the young couple through the shrine gate: one in a white kimono, two in multicoloured.

Kenshin's mind blanked as he saw the icy purity of Kaoru, from the white hood on her head, to the pale makeup on her face, and the colourless swish of white brocade that was her kimono. The only colour was the inky darkness of her hair, the red-painted lips, and her incredible, crystalline blue eyes.

_My Kaoru… Kaoru… she is so beautiful… a goddess, an angel…_

He was snapped out of his thoughts by a firm hand – he didn't know whose – in the small of his back. He stumbled forward, then remembered that he was supposed to be on the steps of the shrine, to take Kaoru's hand.

Making his way to the red doorway that marked the opening of the shrine, Kenshin waited an instant and an infinity, before Kaoru reached out and placed her small, pale-painted hand in his.

They stepped forwards, into the shrine.

-

As they followed the bride and groom into the shrine, Sano glanced across to Kaoru's two attendants. In truth, he scarcely noticed the shorter woman. His attention was all on the woman in a mauve-and-sage kimono.

As Megumi followed Kaoru, her hips swung invitingly, the 'wings' of her obi fluttering lightly with the graceful swaying movement, and Sano's eyes were glued to her well-shaped figure.

There was a momentary pause as the nuptial couple stopped at the entrance to the shrine to bow to the priest and miko, and as the wedding party grouped around the two, Sano took the opportunity to lean forwards and whisper into the fox-woman's ear.

"You look beautiful, Fox." His voice was quiet, but he saw smiles twitch into place on two ninja faces.

"Thank you, Sano," replied Megumi, her tone warm. The look she flicked at the two smiling shinobi indicated that she had seen the twitching lips. Sano grinned down at her, the reckless tilt of his mouth indicating that he didn't care who knew.

Then the priest, who had been quietly greeting Kaoru and Kenshin, said more loudly, "Those of you who are the wedding party, please follow us." He turned, and beckoned to the bride and groom. Obediently, they followed.

Yahiko came immediately after the two: as Kaoru's brother, and only relative, he was the prime witness to the marriage. Kenshin had no relatives, and though he had sent word to his master of his marriage, there had been no reply. So instead, he had asked Sano to be a witness for him.

Kaoru had requested her 'sisters' be present also. Megumi and Tae entered the shrine after Yahiko and Sano, hanging back a little. As they entered the main hall of the shrine, Sano momentarily ducked back.

_I can't let the Fox watch this without her knowing I'm thinking of her…_ He knew that this was a prime opportunity to let her know how he felt… and that he hoped that they would carry out this same ceremony.

He couldn't brush a kiss on Megumi's lips, as he wanted to do, so with a quick, affectionate movement, he took her hand and laid a light peck on it before going to stand beside where Kenshin had knelt down.

-

Tsubame wavered at the entrance, wondering what to do. The wedding party had entered the shrine, and she and the two ninja were to wait outside. As Misao came over, they began chatting easily, but the young meiko still cast flickering glances at the tall man. She didn't trust him entirely. And, to be honest, she was still a little scared.

Shortly, the Okashira began to make his way over to the two of them, and she made a quick, frightened squeak to Misao – something the kunoichi didn't entirely catch, but decided that it was equivalent of "I need to go to the toilet."

The girl scuttled off around the corner, and a quiet, deep chuckle followed her.

"She's still nervous around me." Aoshi's voice was amused, and he folded his arms gently around Misao's shoulders, laying a gentle kiss on her forehead.

Misao smiled gently, and stepped out of Aoshi's embrace. "She's a good girl, and she'll do well as a geisha. I was just saying that to her, two days ago – I think – and she blushed and stammered out that she wasn't sure that being a geisha was the best thing for her. I think I know what she means, but even if she stopped being a meiko, she'd have to move, and then –"

"You mean, I suppose, that she likes Yahiko." Aoshi interrupted Misao's stream of chatter with a concise statement. To this Misao nodded, and was about to answer, when Aoshi added on his next statement. "She will need to calm her emotions if she is to be successful as a geisha. What were you talking of?"

Misao nodded again, and this time, got to answer the question. "We were talking about the wedding. Tsubame especially said how beautiful Kaoru looked. Did you think that she was beautiful? That was a gorgeous kimono she was wearing, too. I think that it would look very good on me. I wouldn't mind being where Kaoru is –"

"I would not mind being in Kenshin's position one day." Aoshi's quiet words cut off Misao's prattle as easily as a katana. The kunoichi turned to him, eyes wide.

"You mean you wouldn't mind being married one day?" For once, she didn't babble, but posed the question and left it at that.

Aoshi nodded silently.

The young woman was almost afraid to ask the question that logically followed. "And… and would you… would you like to marry anyone…?"

The man's face went blank for the merest moment. "I have… I have some idea of what I would like the woman I marry to be like."

Misao's eyes fell, and her phrase was flat. "Oh." _I probably don't measure up to his standards…_

Though she couldn't see it, Aoshi's eyes twinkled briefly. "I want her to be pretty – with long black hair, I like that – and sparkling eyes."

A brief spark of a thought shot through Misao, and the man's voice continued.

"I want her personality to be bright and bubbly. I want her to be full of life and spark. I want her to be able to love without condition, to be able to be loved without condition. I want her to be able to handle any weapons life throws to her, and throw herself into the fight with reckless abandon. _I want her to be my match in every way_."

As he said this uncharacteristically long speech, Misao's head lifted slowly.

"Oh!" The phrase was stunned, this time. Misao had had an inkling of what he meant when he mentioned long black hair, but as he said that he wanted her to be able to handle weapons, her suspicion peaked.

"I want her to be you, Misao." Aoshi's voice was quiet and sincere.

_Aoshi-sama's proposing… Aoshi-sama's proposing… Aoshi-sama's proposing… _echoed through Misao's mind for a full minute before it actually sunk in, and even then it hadn't entirely made connection.

"Oh…" This time, the phrase was considering and disbelieving.

_O Kami-sama, if you were ever good to me, be good to me now…_ Aoshi waited, nerves more on edge now than they had ever been before a ninja mission or a battle.

Then Misao's mouth opened, and the tall man hung on the silence.

"Yes. Yes, I will marry you, Aoshi-sama… Aoshi…"

_She said my name…_ the Okashira had longed to hear that voice saying his name without any respectful suffixes.

At the sweet sound of Misao's answer, he swept her up into his arms, holding her tight, heedless of the creases he was imparting on her kimono, and ignoring the fact that she was hanging a foot off the ground.

Gentle, his lips searched out hers, and a quiet kiss sealed both question and answer.

Cradling Misao still closer, Aoshi carefully lowered himself to sit on the shrine's steps, and his next words were ones of relief.

"You don't know how long I've wanted to hear you say that… to hear you say my name…"

"I always wanted to call you just Aoshi, too," Misao giggled gently, snuggling into his chest.

A soft smile lit both faces, and they sat for a while, Aoshi stroking the back of Misao's neck gently.

Misao giggled again. At the questioning look thrown to her, she said, "Kaoru was teasing me yesterday about how long it would take us to become engaged after her wedding… I'll have to tell her that we got there first!"

-

The nuptial couple knelt on the wooden floor of the shrine. The Shinto priest knelt beside them, and brought two bowls of water to them: dipping their hands in, and rinsing out their mouths, they performed the misogi.

After the simple purification ceremony, the priest lifted the harai-gushi, doubly cleansing the two who knelt before him. In his quiet voice, he called for the kami to bless this couple, and to make their life together fruitful and full.

Then a miko in the traditional white-and-red shuffled forwards, a tray in her hands. It carried a sake set: three dishes stacked on top of each other, small, medium and large. A jug full of the colourless rice wine sat next to them, and as the miko set down the tray, she turned its handle towards Kaoru.

With a polite bow to the miko, then a deeper one to the priest, and a still deeper one to Kenshin, she picked up the jug. It was time for the ritual of San-San-Ku-Do, the eighteen sips of sake that would seal them as husband and wife.

Her hands shook slightly as she poured the smallest cup full to the brim of sake.

_I'm not supposed to be shaking. It's the happiest day of my life…_ she thought, but her hands trembled nonetheless as she lifted the dish, and extended it to Kenshin.

Kenshin saw the quivering of her hands, and as he took the cup, he smiled at her warmly, reassuringly, though inside he was shaking just as much as she.

_I shouldn't be nervous… I'm finally marrying Kaoru!_ he thought as he brought the cup to his lips in the three customary sips. Reaching to Kaoru, he placed the dish in her hands, noting that the trembling was subsiding.

A shaky smile passed over her lips before she brought the cup to her lips. Three sips, and she placed it down, reaching for the jug again, and filling the medium-sized cup.

The cup was placed in Kenshin's hands, and he lifted it to his mouth – three more sips. Kaoru's three sips were through tense lips, which Kenshin's smile did nothing to ease.

Then the largest dish was filled. Kaoru handed it to Kenshin, thinking, _This is the last… he takes this drink, I take this drink, and we are married…_

Three sips of sake crossed Kenshin's lips, and as he handed the cup to Kaoru, he knew that he had done everything. _Three more sips of sake, and we are married…_

Kaoru paused for a long moment before she brought the third cup to her mouth. Then the sake was sliding down her throat, and she was a married woman.

After deep bows to the priest and the miko, Kenshin's hand extended to hers, and they moved to the altar, where a bundle of small twigs lay – the sakaki that were the symbolic offering.

The last gesture made, the new husband and wife turned as one, and walked out into the bright sun – together.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** I have tried to follow the traditional wedding ceremony as closely as possible. Unfortunately, there are numerous variations, so there are some versions which include misogi, some which include using the harai-gushi, some have vows included, etc. However, they _all_ include San-San-Ku-Do. I have tried to construct the wedding ceremony as accurately as possible. Family and close friends are the only people allowed at the Shinto ceremony, so I have used the term 'witnesses', as this is effectively their role.

No complaints, please, about the AxM. Aaah, the joy of meringue. I did warn you… And since everyone else seemed to be getting the action, I wanted to put at least a little AxM in there.

**Review Replies:** Thanks to all my reviewers!

Brittanie Love – Thanks! Here's the update – enjoy!

inuyasha/kenshin gurl – Thanks. Isn't it just all meringuey and wonderful!

Hannah – Thanks very much! Though, can you please say a little more… I would like to know _what_ you thought was good… So I can improve everything else!

Crewel – Addicted? Oooh, I'm not sure whether that's good or not! As for reviewing… no, as you can see, you're actually the fourth person to review! (Wow, people review fast!) As for the SxM situation… sorry, that's under wraps right now! So I can't tell you if you will be sad and disappointed… Arigato gozaimasu for the fanart! It's the first fanart I've ever been sent! Encourage pika to draw more, please! It's excellent – I especially love the 'dream' picture – so cute!

scythe195 – Er, I'm not sure if you mean the end scene or when Rurouni and Battousai separated, but thanks! As for Kenshin's gi…

Rurouni: Please, scythe-dono, give this one's gi back… this one is cold, that this one is…

Battousai: Oh, harden up, Rurouni. Don't be a wimp.

Rurouni/muttering/ Says he, who is nice and warm in his gi…

Battousai/currently being hugged (strangled) by scythe/ Urk! Nix-chan… get this… author… urk! …off me…

Rurouni: Oh, harden up, Battousai. Don't be a wimp.

Battousai/muttering and massaging neck/ Says he, who is used to being hugged…

…madness, utter madness… But anyway, here's the update.

evilteddybear /embarrassed laugh/ Er, I do tend to go a little overboard on the meringue sometimes… You're welcome, for the update!

Anonymous miss – Thanks! But the ending's a little too meringue-ish… /sweatdrops/ Glad you liked it, anyway!

kenshinlover2002 – I think that there are very few people who would deny Battousai anything. I'm not sure that it 'pays off' to be Battousai… as you have to go through a lot to get there…

Battousai: Yes. Do _not_ try to become Battousai. It hurts.

Rurouni: Master Hiko's training was rather… hellish, that it was.

…as to the SxM situation, that's not allowed to be revealed as yet. You'll see shortly!

Thefunnymonkey – Thanks for reading… but don't sneak on to get it – it tends to get your Internet privileges revoked… which is not a good thing. At all. But no, I didn't realise that 'Kenshin' rhymes with 'tension'… never really thought about it! Thanks again, and hope you enjoyed the chapter!

Crisa Rei – I read the chapter again, and yes, 'sister' is overused… /sweatdrops/ But I had to emphasise the relationship between Kaoru and Megumi. 'Beloved' I don't think I overused… perhaps more than necessary, though, yes. Pear… mmm… yummy… me like pear…

Peachie-Chan – No, it's not the end. Trust me, you'll know when it's the end… You'll have me sprawled all over the keyboard, sobbing, and Rurouni will be trying to cheer me up… I might even get too emotional for Battousai to stand…

Rurouni/patting a sobbing Peachie/ She's not listening, Nix-dono…

thechickenlittle – I just noticed, you changed your name! No '2000' on the end! Oh well, I think thechickenlittle is easier to remember.

Battousai: Who's the idiot with the weird hair?

Nix/deep sigh/ That's Chrono, Battousai. You'll be helping him to be Muse for chickenlittle.

Battousai: WHAT! You're lending me out again!

Nix: Er, no… not really…

Battousai/death glare/

Nix: Chrono'll keep an eye on her… won't you, Chrono? He won't let her use you for yaoi.

Chrono (guest appearance): Sure. She doesn't do yaoi, anyway.

Battousai/suspicious glare at Chrono/

Chrono: Honest. Cross my heart. /grin/

Battousai: Fine. /follows chickenlittle and Chrono, a black cloud hanging over his head/ Anyone would think Nix-chan didn't like me…

(Apologies for any mischaracterisation of Chrono, I've only seen one volume of the manga. /sweatdrops/)

midnite cherry blossomz – Thanks, and here's the update!

kitsune /winces/ I think I'm just going to say, well, if Battousai utterly shreds you, I can't say I didn't warn you.


	24. Revealing All

**To Reveal All**

**Chapter 24: Revealing All**

**By steelphoenix**

* * *

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Rurouni Kenshin, or any of its characters. 

**Author's Notes:** If you haven't watched 'Trust' and 'Betrayal', please go and do so. They are fantastic pieces of anime. I love the way Kenshin and Tomoe interact. That said, Tomoe fans may want to kill me for parts of this chapter… /wince/

This chapter contains lime. This is description of a sexual scene. If you don't want to read this, then skip that bit of the story. Otherwise… read on! You have been warned! I tried very, _very_ hard to keep it within PG-13 rating, but it's _very_ close to R. If you think I should lift the rating, please tell me.

Big announcement: This is the end, guys. If you want me to do an epilogue, please say so… I have an idea for one, but unless you think I should, I won't post it. Thanks very, very, very much for reading and reviewing. More thanks, etc. at the bottom of the chapter. /sniff/

Battousai: And now she's going to get all emotional on us…

Rurouni: She has the right, Battousai, that she does.

**Language Notes:** The phrase "Itadakemasu!" means 'let's eat', or 'thank you for the food', and is said at the beginning of every meal.

Ryukansen (Dragon-Wrap-Sword) is best seen in the anime.

'Baka deshi' means 'stupid pupil' or 'idiot apprentice'. 'Shishou' means master or teacher.

Edo was the old name for Tokyo. 'Tokyo' was adopted near the start of the Meiji Era.

**Warnings:**PG-13 for sexual situations/scenes, bordering on R-rating. THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS LIME. Violence in other chapters. No language warnings.

* * *

The wedding party moved out of the shrine, back to the entrance, in a more relaxed manner than they had come in. Kaoru and Kenshin both laughed and talked now, the tension prior to the ceremony mostly gone. 

At the entrance sat the Western carriage that had been 'permanently borrowed' from the Kokuryukai on the night of the battle. It had been the means of getting Kaoru to the shrine without damaging the exquisite shiro-maku kimono, and it was to be her transport back to the dojo.

Kenshin handed her in, and held the door so that Megumi and Tae could step up. He was about to close the door, when Megumi said, "Aren't you coming too, Kenshin?"

A stammered reply was half-out when he was pushed through the door by a big hand. Hitting his shins painfully against the carriage steps and his chest against the edge of the door, Kenshin swore in shock.

A giggle from Kaoru recalled him to the real world, and he peeled himself off the carriage floor, he turned and glared at a grinning, unrepentant Sano.

"You just had to pull _some_ trick, didn't you?" Kenshin's question was snapped and angry, and Sano's grin faded, fearing the appearance of Battousai at any moment.

"Hey, Kenshin, I…" Sano was about to apologise, but Kenshin interrupted with a sad, half-exasperated sigh.

"No, Sano, I am sorry. I should not have snapped at you, that I should not. It is just that –"

"Too much tension, right?" Sano interrupted. At Kenshin's nod, he grinned. "No problem! Anyway, do you ladies want to go back to the dojo now?" He addressed the women who waited anxiously in the carriage.

"Yes, please," replied Megumi, casting an anxious glance at Sano, worried for him. A small wink was shot at her in cheeky reply.

Sano strolled around to the front of the carriage, where Yahiko sat on the driver's seat, with Tsubame beside him.

"Shove over," said Sano, and as the young man did, he caught the reins. "Alright, everyone, time to go home!" With a quick flip of his wrists, the carriage lumbered off down the street, in the direction of the dojo.

-

The group knelt on the floor, around where plates of food covered the floor. The dishes were exquisite: flawless rounds of sushi, tempura cooked to perfection, bowls of scented rice steaming invitingly.

Sets of chopsticks were passed around, and, as it was a special occasion, Kenshin offered a brief prayer to the kami for continued health and happiness. Then he said "Itadakemasu!" and everyone took bowls and began eating.

Laughter and teasing flew across the food, the good mood of the successful wedding carrying to the meal. It only got louder as jugs of sake were brought in.

Sano had just (rather pointedly) asked Kenshin what his 'size' was – which the redhead was trying to ignore – when Kenshin's head shot up, and a frown pulled his brows together.

"Kenshin?" Kaoru saw the tilted brows. "What's the matter?"

The redhead's frown deepened, and he put down his bowl carefully. He reached out to where his sakabato had been placed against the wall, standing and sliding it into his hakama. "I can sense a chi that I have not sensed in a long time, that I can." He shot a glance at Aoshi, who had also put down his implements. The room quieted as the Okashira rose.

"Hmmm… a very deep chi. Incredibly controlled." His voice was considering, and slightly curious.

Misao nodded in agreement as she began to feel aura of the chi in question creeping into her sixth sense. "It has the feel of the Earth Element." She followed Aoshi's lead, rising. She slipped over to the kitchen door, and grabbed out a holster of kunai, readying them for action.

Now everyone was standing, and Kaoru caught her new husband's hand as he walked over to the shoji that led to the courtyard and slid it open.

Into the courtyard strode a tall, black-haired man, a red-bordered white cloak fluttering behind him. He turned to the veranda, unsheathing an unusually long sword as he did so, and yelled, "Himura Kenshin!"

Kaoru turned to Kenshin, wondering how the man knew her husband, and what he was doing here. Surprisingly, Kenshin's face wasn't startled, or angry. Instead, his eyes were determined, and a one-sided smile curved his lips up. Kaoru had the briefest of moments to wonder why that expression was on his face, when the unknown man dove forwards in an attack.

"Hiten Mitsurugi Style! Ryukansen!"

_He knows the Hiten Mitsurugi Style?_ Kaoru wondered. Then Kenshin let go of her hand as his smile deepened to a full grin, and he dove into an attack of his own.

A quick clash of swords, and the two fell away, back to their stances.

"Hiten Mitsurugi Style! Ryutsuisen!" Kenshin yelled, as the unknown man shouted "Hiten Mitsurugi Style! Ryushousen!"

The two swords met midair, the Ryushousen slightly ahead of the Ryutsuisen. Kenshin's strike bounced off the longer blade, and his blade flicked away, bouncing briefly before it stuck in the ground. Kenshin, too, bounced away, landing with a dull thud on the ground.

Kaoru leapt off the veranda, immediately rushing to check that Kenshin wasn't hurt.

But the unknown man got there first. Seeing the rapidity with which he moved, Kaoru had no doubt that he could easily attain godlike speed.

The man reached down to Kenshin, hand extended amiably. The redhead grabbed the proffered hand, and pulled himself up. The tall man clapped him on the shoulder, and said, "Not bad, baka deshi. You're out of practise."

Kenshin began dusting himself off, replying, "I have been recovering from wounds, shishou. I am not in full training yet, that I am not."

"Kenshin! Are you alright? You weren't hurt, were you?" Kaoru's anxious voice came sharply through their low conversation as she raced up to where the pair stood.

Kenshin nodded, and briefly hugged her, reassuringly. "I'm fine, Kaoru."

The tall man reached out, and tipped Kaoru's chin up. "Who are you?" he asked, arrogance running through his tone.

"Hands _off_ my wife, shishou." Protectiveness, possessiveness, and a slight threat, more than equal to the elder man's arrogance, filled Kenshin's voice as he warned off his teacher.

The black-haired man snickered briefly, then flicked his sword away and resheathed it. "I didn't know you'd already got married, baka deshi."

"I invited you, that I did," replied Kenshin. "The ceremony was today."

The tall man's eyebrows shot up, and his reply was ever-so-slightly stuttered. "Really? I just missed it, then." Kenshin grinned lightly, knowing that his shishou had got the date wrong, but would never in a thousand years admit that he had even been planning to come to the wedding.

"Come, shishou, I will introduce you to my friends, that I will." Kenshin extended his hand to Kaoru, and they walked back to the dojo, hand-in-hand.

As they reached the veranda, Kenshin nodded infinitesimally to Aoshi, who had one of his kodachi clicked out of its sheath. The nod prompted him to return it to its sheath. Misao, behind him, lowered the holster of kunai.

Everyone re-entered the room, and the unknown man ducked in behind Kenshin.

"Everyone, I would like to introduce my shishou, that I would. This is Seijurou Hiko."

Hiko gave a brief bow, and then sat down next to Sano.

Kenshin winced slightly, knowing what was coming.

"Well, how's Kenshin been? I remember when…"

"Shishou!" The redhead's voice snapped, and Hiko looked up. "No embarrassing stories, please."

The evil grin on Hiko's face was wide. "What are weddings for, if not to embarrass the bridal couple?" At this, Kenshin sighed, and stepped over to the shoji.

"I prefer not to relive the more humiliating moments of my life, that I do _not_." his voice snapped, and the shoji closed with a fierce slap. Kaoru, half-risen and hand extended toward Kenshin, finished standing. With a deep bow to the assembled company, and an intense glare at Hiko, she followed, closing the shoji much harder than Kenshin had.

"Hoo, she's a feisty one, she is," Hiko chuckled. The girl's gaze had probed deep into him, and he had the feeling that she had seen some of his motivation in coming… it disconcerted him, and he responded the only way he knew: arrogance.

"She's fully-trained in kenjutsu. And she was a geisha. And she's the only one with any control over Battousai." Megumi's voice was almost accusing as she replied to the master's comment.

Hiko whistled, and the grin on his face widened. "Trust Kenshin to find the only woman who could tame him…"

-

"Does your master realise that he hurts you with what he says?" Kaoru's voice was quiet as she knelt down beside Kenshin. He had retreated to his room – _their_ room now – and was sitting stiffly on a cushion in the middle of the tatami matting.

"Of course he realises, that he does." Kenshin's reply was curt and dark, his head sinking to his chest as he sighed in defeat.

Kaoru gently lifted her hand, and placed it on his shoulder, offering the only brief comfort that she could.

"He didn't even remember the date…" Kenshin's head sank lower.

Kaoru moved closer, and slipped her arms around her new husband's shoulders. "At least he came, Kenshin."

A brief, bitter laugh responded, and Kenshin looked up. "He only came to humiliate me. He enjoys it, that he does."

Kaoru's head shaking surprised him, and his expression faded from bitterness to confusion. "No, Kenshin… I saw into his eyes… he came because he thinks of you as a son, I know it."

Kenshin's eyes widened, and Kaoru smiled at the doubt she saw in his face. "Anyway… don't let him spoil our wedding night…"

The doubt in the redhead's face faded as a sly grin covered his face, and his thoughts of Hiko were overwhelmed by much more pleasant ideas.

Carefully leaning forwards, he kissed her lightly on the lips. Unconsciously, he licked his lips, and then leaned back, a grimace on his face. "Can you _please_ take off that makeup? It tastes awful, that it does."

Kaoru laughed lightly at the observation, and nodded. "Just let me get a cloth."

She shuffled over to where the bathing buckets had been stowed in a cupboard, and pulled out a washcloth. A quick dip in the pitcher, and it was damp enough to wipe over her face and remove the white mask and red tinting of her lips. Swiping it over her neck, she reached around to the nape of her neck, to clean it too.

But a hand caught the washcloth, and began to move it around in much slower movements than the rapid swish she had been using.

Then kisses began to trail after the cloth, and Kaoru shivered at the combination of cold and warm wetness.

Kenshin's hand was tugging at her obi, and Kaoru correctly interpreted it as a desire to take it off. With a quick shift of movement, she stood, taking Kenshin by surprise. His hands grabbed at her hips in an attempt to keep her kneeling in front of him, but she was already standing, so he followed her up, arms wrapping around her chest to play with the collar of her kimono.

Expertly, Kaoru undid cords and ties, loosening the obi enough so that it slipped down over her hips. As she stepped out of it, the shiro-maku flapped open. Kenshin's hands caught at the shoulders of the kimono, pulling it off. It slipped to the floor, unnoticed, as he trailed kisses up the back of her neck, moist and warm.

Now clad only in her nagajuban, Kaoru turned within the circle of his arms, and gave herself wholeheartedly to the lips offered to her.

Kenshin carefully caught her around the waist, and lifted her over to the futon. She coiled around him, moulding herself to him, and her hands were deft in loosening his clothing to allow her better access to the toned planes of his body.

Hands slipped under fabric, and when the covering was shoved impatiently aside, lips followed.

Joined as one, two bodies moved in harmony, and the release was both beautiful and incredible.

-

Lying tangled together in the afterglow, Kenshin's hands moved slowly over his wife's body as she rested her head on his chest.

"Kaoru?" His voice was sleepy and content.

Her response was merely a lazy "M-hmm?" as she enjoyed the sensation of Kenshin's hand stroking up and down her side.

"I love you." His voice was nearly in her ear, and she smiled as he dropped a kiss on her neck, in the sensitive spot just below her ear.

"I love you too," she replied, her voice full with the same satisfied warmth as his.

A long while passed, and then Kaoru's voice came quietly. "Kenshin…? Can I ask you something…?" At his quick, affirmative nod, Kaoru continued. "Why did Battousai come out when I played that song…? I thought that he would only come out for important things, like when you came to the Kokuryukai House."

A considering frown pulled at Kenshin's brows. "Hmm… Well, at that time, Battousai wasn't sane, and he was constantly trying to regain control."

"Huh?" Kaoru was confused. "Not sane? But… he was sane – well, rational – when he came out after I was kidnapped… I think he might have been on the night you proposed, too."

"That was your doing, Kaoru." Kenshin's voice was warm, and almost amused. "When you kissed me, you provided a point for Battousai to focus on, and so he became aware and sane once more. But before that he was always trying to regain control. When Rurouni was with you, Battousai was always near the surface – he knew that Rurouni's emotions when near you were less ordered due to love for you."

Then the warm tenor voice became darker. "That song… it threw Rurouni's mind into disarray. Your singing so openly about the Battousai killing one you loved… guilt, and the similarity of the situation with Tomoe… They threw Rurouni's emotions enough to allow Battousai to gain temporary access. He was pushed back later."

"Ah… I see," was Kaoru's reply, and then her voice stuttered through the obvious question. "I know Tomoe was your first wife… but what was the 'situation'?"

A few moments passed, and Kenshin's voice held a hint of nervousness as he spoke again. "Kaoru… I have something to tell you…"

"I… I must tell you how I came to be what I am… My life…" He trailed off, looking down at her anxiously. She nodded silently, realising that he was finally going to reveal all that he was, to her.

_No need to** be frightened**… I just **need to** trust her…_ Kenshin took a deep breath, to gain courage, and began speaking.

"This one was born in a small farming town… this one's parents died of cholera when this one was seven, that they did. This one does not remember much of them, except the fact that Mother was tall and had brilliant red hair… she was foreign, that she was." The light voice surprised Kaoru, and she glanced over at Kenshin. The ringed purple-and-gold eyes had morphed to the kind violet of the Rurouni, just as the voice was the once-familiar tone.

"After they died, this one's other relatives were too poor, and they want to bear the stigma of a half-blood child in the family, that they did not. So they sold this one to the next slave-traders that came past their village, that they did." A trace of bitterness weaved through the usually-expressionless voice of the Rurouni, and Kaoru could tell that her husband had carried the sense of betrayal since he was small.

"The slave caravan was attacked, and there were three women who looked after this one… they pleaded with the bandits to 'spare the child's life', even at the expense of their own, that they did. They were ignored, and died, but this one was saved by shishou. He took this one in, and trained this one in the Hiten Mitsurugi Style, that he did."

Then a deep sigh heaved through his frame. "This one was a good pupil to him until the Bakumatsu occurred, that this one was. But this one was too immature to understand that the technique of Hiten Mitsurugi was too powerful, and that it would be used by this one's commanders. This one was a boy, too young to see beyond his idealism, that this one was."

Kaoru had almost been lulled into a doze by the quiet, gentle voice of the Rurouni, but through her sleepy half-awareness, she noticed that the man's voice was deepening. The Rurouni's 'this one' and 'that it is' at the ends of his sentences were disappearing, as well. Her attention regained, she listened more closely. He was talking of Tomoe.

"…when I met her, I had just killed… She said that I had made it rain blood, and indeed I had. She fainted, and I took her to my inn to… well, I don't know why I didn't just kill her. Perhaps it was the smell of white plums she had… I had never smelt anything so… pure, so intoxicating… and I never did again, until I smelt the scent of jasmine… But I took her to my inn. She started to work there, and I found myself watching her, watching her as she did the simple, homely tasks required of an inn worker." The almost-wistful tone in Kenshin's voice made a deep spark of jealousy pass through Kaoru. To hear him speaking so, of another woman… even a woman that was dead… made her resentful.

"Then came the disaster of the Great Fire… and I was sent away. Sent away to tiny town called Otsu, where I was to pose as a farmer. But farming is in my blood, that it is. Peace came over me when I was working the crops. And this one had finally found how he wanted to be, for the rest of his life."

Kenshin's voice had lightened again, and Kaoru realised that the changing of his voice indicated which personality had been closest to the surface when the events occurred. But a thread of darkness still weaved behind the light tapestry of the Rurouni's tones, swelling until it overwhelmed the soft tenor, as he described what had happened.

"This one was content, that this one was. With a house, a small plot of land, and a wife. Creating life, not destroying it, that was the best thing in this one's life, that it was.

"Then Enishi, Tomoe's brother, visited; that he did. And this one knew that there was something more than love for his sister behind the visit, that there was. I sensed the hatred that ran half-concealed behind his friendly voice, that I did. This one went out to the field, and I know that Tomoe and Enishi talked. A hitokiri's hearing is highly trained, and I heard every word they said, that I did. I heard that there was a trap. I heard that Tomoe had been part of the plan. But I believed that she had simply been bait – unwilling bait.

"I also heard that Tomoe wanted her brother to go back to Edo – and I knew that she loved this life as much as I did. I took it as confirmation that she had been unwilling. And it was with this thought in mind that this one asked her to become my wife, truly my wife, not simply for our concealment, but with true vows and true bonds.

Another deep sigh rolled off Kenshin's lips, and his voice became uncertain. "…When Iizuka came to me with the news that she was the traitor… When he told me to kill her, my first thought was that he had to be lying. The plot that I heard she had been part of gave me pause, but I still didn't believe it.

"But her own words, her journal, told me the truth. Her fiancé had been killed, and that was the reason she was involved. She wanted me as dead as all the others… at least to begin with."

The uncertainty grew in Battousai's voice, and Kaoru was amazed. She had never heard such a tone from the hitokiri spirit.

"The plot never found fruition. For she did not want me dead anymore. Tatsumi was about to kill me, and I him, when she dove between us.

"She ran onto my blade.

"She took her dagger from Tatsumi's hand, and crossed this scar of mine.

"And she died."

-

A long, shuddering sigh and short, gasping breaths shook Kenshin, and Kaoru looked up, to see tears welling from amber eyes. She had never imagined Battousai crying, but here he was, salt on his cheeks and eyes wet.

_He is still a man,_ she thought, realising finally that the invincibility of Battousai didn't preclude him from having emotions. It only seemed to, and the control he exhibited over them made it seem even more so.

_He is still a man._

Carefully, she moved herself up the bed. Touching his cheeks ever-so-lightly with her lips, she kissed away the tears that had fallen.

With a quiet half-cry, half-sob, Kenshin rolled over, burying his face in her neck, and the wetness dripped down. She wrapped her arms even tighter, and stroked the blazing hair as it coiled around her shoulders.

Slowly, the sobs ceased. Kenshin lay, quiet and still, for a long while, and then he lifted his head. His eyes, swirling now into the ringed amber-and-amethyst, met Kaoru's, and in a muffled, damp tone, Kenshin at last spoke.

"I've never cried over Tomoe before."

Kaoru's reply was quiet and certain. "You've never cried before, have you?"

A soggy laugh answered. "No, I've cried… just never over Tomoe, and her death."

"You should have, long before. You should have, Kenshin."

Half-closed amber-amethyst and blue eyes shot open. That was neither his, nor her, voice.

"Kenshin… Kenshin, you should have let me go long since."

Two heads slowly turned, and both on the futon sat up, turning to face the closed shoji. Moonlight slid through them, and with a movement that wasn't a movement but a sliding of lines of light, bent into a figure, the figure of a woman. Her hair was dark – how do you darken moonlight? – and her eyes glimmered of a deep, warm brown.

A gentle smile curved Tomoe's lips as she took in the scene, and the gently-glowing brown orbs focussed on the man. "Kenshin, you have finally found your equal. Hold close to her. I have little time, so listen carefully.

"I was a saya, a sheath for your brandished sword, but you have never understood that you needed more than just a sheath. You were merely the blade-edge, half a blade, and you had no dull-edge. Rurouni was not the dull-edge – he was merely the cut surface of a half-sword, trying to be the dull-edge. He stood temporarily where the dull-edge should have been, waiting to be sealed between the Battousai and the person would be your dull-edge. You need that dull-edge to be a complete sword…"

He voice slowly trailed off, almost as if she had what she was supposed to say next, and her eyes turned to the woman who sat beside Kenshin.

"Kaoru… you are Kenshin's wife, more than I ever was. You have the fire that I had, but never displayed. You have the steadiness that I had, but never truly gave to Kenshin. And you have a giving and loving heart that I have never, will never, completely know."

Seeing the slight frown on Kaoru's face, she continued, with a quirk of rare humour, "Do not be insulted that I called you Kenshin's dull-edge. The dull-edge is the strength behind the sword. You are the strength behind his blade. You are what holds him to himself. I can seal the blade-edge and cut-edge into one, but you are the one who will bind them together and give them a foundation and strength. I helped separate the two sides of him. You will help return them to one."

Tomoe's gleaming figure gently glided over to the futon, knelt, and a hand of woven moonlight reached out.

"Kenshin, you have separated from one being into two half-beings. You cannot truly live like this.

"And so I seal you into one."

Her finger touched Kenshin's forehead, right in the centre, and a slight radiance swept from it, encasing the redhead's body. The man's eyes went wide, then closed as fast as a slamming door. With a brief swirling, two colours coalesced into unknowable coiling patterns in the iridescent cocoon – amber and purple.

Kaoru's mouth hung half-open, but in the instant she reached out to touch the shell, a moonlight hand caught her wrist. She gazed up into brown-glowing eyes, Tomoe's sharply-hissed "No!" brought her up short.

A slight thump made both turn. Kenshin had slumped down onto the futon, and he lay still as the cocoon swirled, its patterns lightening and fading until it was completely white. Then it began to dissipate, coming off his body in long shreds of solid moonlight.

A deep gasp announced the opening of his eyes, and he shot up from the futon as fast as a sword-draw. He was panting as if he had just been fighting, and he remained there, eyes wide, mouth open in a silent scream.

Then perception flickered into the huge eyes, and his mouth gradually closed, panting slowing. Torturously, he turned to where Kaoru and Tomoe knelt. His mouth opened again, working as if to say something.

When his voice came out it was hoarse and stuttering.

"I am… I am one… one again… How…?"

He had known the instant he had regained awareness. Though he had been one before, the sense of separation had floated at the very back of his consciousness, barely detectable, but _there_, able to be pinpointed, able to be identified. Now it was gone, and though he searched the deepest depths of his soul, he could not find anything even remotely resembling it.

Tomoe nodded, as if satisfied with her work. "It is my last gift, my parting gift, to you. You have finally let go of me, and so I can finally let go of you. You have revealed all of yourself to someone else, and so the burden and joy of utter knowing has passed on."

Kaoru's question was nearly inaudible. "Utter… knowing?"

The moonlight-woman's eyes turned kindly to Kaoru. "Yes. You know all that he is. You will protect his heart, as he protects your life."

Tomoe's figure rose silently, and she glided back to the shoji, flicking it open without touching it, without a sound. As she stood there, the tendrils of moonlight that made up her form began to scatter in silver tatters.

Her voice was gentle as she spoke for the last time to the two that remained frozen on the futon.

"All is joined. All is whole.

"All is revealed."

* * *

**Author's Notes:** And so it was… ended and revealed. 

Before anyone asks, yes, I had this ending in mind when I began writing. I did not plan for Tomoe's appearance, but 'Trust' and 'Betrayal' changed that. Tomoe played a very large part in Kenshin's life, and I think that Kenshin would have held on to her for a long time, certainly until he met Kaoru. Then, and only then, he might have started letting go.

This is a long chapter, precisely for the fact that is an ending chapter, and there are ends to be wrapped up. I hope you enjoyed it.

**Review Replies:** Thanks to all my reviewers.

scythe195 (for both reviews) – Thanks for the info about rkresource! I didn't know about that, so that's very useful! Glad you liked the SxM and AxM!

Rurouni: Arigato for the new gi, scythe-dono. This one is most grateful, that this one is. This one likes the gi from the manga better, that this one does. It means that this one is less likely to be accused of being girly, that this one is.

Battousai: You are correct in the fact that my gi is the same in anime and manga. You will be under the same threat as the anime creators if you attempt to steal it.

Crewel – I'm afraid you may be disappointed at the ending, but I did write this as a KxK story. However, there's always the epilogue…

kitsune – He was threatening to do so, but… well… the remark about Kaoru distracted him… I think he's gone off to stalk her… or something…

Crisa Rei – No, but this is the end! See you next time… whether that be my next story, or the (still debatable) epilogue!

Thefunnymonkey – Whoa… Best you've ever seen... /jaw hits the floor, goes silent/

Battousai: Wow, you've managed to shut her up!

…anyway… /whacks Battousai/ I'm glad the language notes help! That's the idea!

Brittanie Love – Arigato/bows/

kenshinlover2002 – I had to do the traditional wedding… I was trying to stay as accurate as possible, to make up for earlier mistakes… /sweatdrops/ Glad you liked it!

evilteddybear – Thanks! No, it wasn't over then… but it is now… /sniff/

jodibetz – Now it's over… but if you want (and say so), there is an epilogue half-typed-up on my computer.

thechickenlittle – Thanks very much!

Rurouni: Two new gis! This one is very lucky, that this one is/squeals like a girl/

Nix and Battousai: Oro/eyebrows threatening to disappear into hairline/

Battousai: …anyhow… I am glad that you guarantee that. Yes, I_ do_ know that Nix loves me, just won't admit it. I will help her write the epilogue, then I shall come and visit you and… the-weird-haired-guy-whose-name-I've-forgotten.

Chrono (guest appearance): You've forgotten my name!

Battousai: Um… yeah…

MZ.AMbER EYES – Glad you like it!

inuyasha/kenshin gurl – Arigato/bows/ Thanks for the compliment!

Peachie-Chan – Yep, he will, won't he/hugs Rurouni/ Don't worry, Battousai doesn't hate you… he just doesn't want to be made into a plushie…

Battousai/sighs/ It's the last chapter… I think I can stand it… /shudders, hands a Battousai plushie, complete with miniature katana, to Peachie/

Peachie/squeals, glomps Battousai/

Battousai: Urk…

midnite cherry blossomz – Here's the update… last one… /sniff/ Yes, Misao is funny when she goes on and on and on… It makes it entertaining to write!

**Final Thanks:** Thanks to all the readers and reviewers who have come with me through this journey.

Most especially thanks those who reviewed numerous times, and those who left the constructive criticism that helped me improve what I was writing.

To all my reviewers: moonchild, half-breed-demon-fox, Chibi Kiki, iLuvJaeWon, Prince Aoshi, Kaorurules, Little Spider, TheEtherway, girl from ipanema, Peachie-Chan, elysium, sweetyfanfic, My name, not yours, deal with it, shan, anonymous, Sosoru, MoonStars, Reign-of-Dreams, HiEi JaGaNsHis FlAmE, pyramidgirl89, Mika, miki, sabella/pan, Kao-gurl, RangerDo'Urden, gaby (hyatt, angelprincess22, kenshinlover2002, jeez, Pixel-the-evil-fairy, Jomai, Hi Hi, sprinkles73, half-demon-from-Azarath, Dagorwen of Ithilien, Zhuyou, lyn, jkdsjhdhjfdshk, thechickenlittle2000, Lydia-Blessing, blue-katana-girl, The Silly Koneko 2, blue faery, someone special, evilteddybear, Oriana Anderson:), anime-luney, Crewel, inuyasha/kenshin gurl, Big-Purple-Lizard, DakBug, videl621, Bradybunch4529, nikki, Nanakiyoda, scythe195, thefutureMrs.Kaiba, Estel-Elf-Lover, Dakota, hIgHoNsUgAr, Amanda, froggi3, Niaka1, Jenny, kitsune, Hatoriscute, Crisa Rei, KilluaHiei, kagomefan, Jupiter's Light, Raeyn-chan, auburn moonlight, Christy, Disco Jesus, erica6060, Brittanie Love, Kaede-Rukawa-ice-prince, onee-chan, Zenegami, reader00, nilnil, DragonBlade666, Thefunnymonkey, Anonymous miss, chizuru-chan, Hannah, and midnite cherry blossomz, jodibetz, MZ.AMbER EYES: Arigato gozaimasu. Thank you very much.

Especial thanks to half-breed-demon-fox, who was my biggest fan for the first 14 chapters (where are you now, demon-fox?); Peachie-chan, who followed me since the second chapter, and now has Kenshin, Sano, Aoshi, and Battousai plushies; scythe195, who entertained me with enormous long reviews; Crewel, who wanted more SxM (and got it); HiEi JaGaNsHis FlAmE, who didn't give up on my writing, despite hating Chapter 3; RangerDo'Urden, who has just as much trouble with Muses, Trig and Chem as I do; thechickenlitte, who wants to borrow Battousai (and will have him shortly); Bradybunch4529, who was so perceptive and poetic; evilteddybear, who left me half-a-pageful of fight-scene tips; Crisa Rei and Raeyn-chan, who left a review for _every single chapter_, and _on the same day_; and to miki, jeez, and The Silly Koneko 2, who pointed out my inaccuracies… /sweatdrops/ and kicked my ass to fix them.

I hope to see you guys again… look out for my next story!

Battousai: And to everyone who was reading just to see me… thanks!

Rurouni/eyebrows raised/ And that won't be many, this one thinks… /raspberry/ Anyway, this one thanks you all for reading, that this one does.

/deep bows from Nix, Battousai, and Rurouni/

* * *

Nix: It's OOOOOOOVVVVEEEERRRR/bursts into tears/

Battousai: I knew this was going to happen…

Rurouni: You should be more sympathetic, that you should… it's the end of her first long story, that it is… /gathers Nix into his arms, hugs comfortingly/

Battousai: She did a good job… But she shouldn't have lent me out so much!

Rurouni: You were fine, that you were. You shouldn't hold a grudge, that you should not.

Battousai: But it's not a grudge… I was just… well… I just… /trails off into silence/

Rurouni/eyebrows raised/ You just what?

Battousai: I just liked being a Muse… I wanted to do more… /comes over, pats Nix on the back/

Nix: What/looks up, stops crying/

Battousai/going red/ I liked being a Muse…

Nix: You _did!_

Battousai/bashful pose, pressing fingertips together/ Kinda…

Nix: Battousai no _baka!_ (translation: Battousai, you idiot) /thwaps Battousai over the head/

Battousai: Owww…

Nix: I needed more help, you should have said!

Battousai: Well, if you needed more help, _you_ should have said!

Nix: A Muse is supposed to _ask_ if they can help more!

Rurouni: This one thinks that you both did a fine job, that you did…

Nix and Battousai: No-one asked _you!_

Rurouni: But this one was just trying to help, that this one was… /sigh/

Nix: Uh-oh… /takes off running as Battousai draws his katana/

Battousai: You're _dead_, Nix-chan! _DEAD!_ Just wait 'til I catch you/takes off after Nix/

Rurouni/sigh/ This one exists solely to keep the peace, that this one thinks… /notices readers still watching, slightly bemused/ Oro! You're not supposed to be still here, that you are not!

/Nix hurtles past, Battousai on her tail/

Rurouni/to readers/ They'll be at that most of the afternoon, that they will… Anyway, from this one, this one's alter ego, and Nix-dono, goodbye!


	25. Epilogue: Revealing The Future

**To Reveal All**

**Epilogue: Revealing The Future**

**By steelphoenix**

* * *

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Rurouni Kenshin, or any of its characters.

**Author's Notes:** This chapter is the epilogue. I must thank you all once again for the wonderful response I got at the end of Chapter 24. To my 3? reviewers: I love you all. Thanks so much!

I had no idea what to call Kenshin and Kaoru's daughter. I hope you don't mind their names. (Ack! Plot giveaway! Don't look!)

Battousai: Nix-chan… they all just read that…

…/rolls eyes/ They'll find out in the first line… I suppose they can cope…

**Language Notes:** 'Hime' means 'Princess'.

**Warnings:** PG-13 for sexual situations/scenes and violence in other chapters. No language warnings.

* * *

**Tokyo, Meiji 15 (1880)**

"MUUUUUUMMMMMYYYY! KENJI'S HURT UNCLE YAHIKO! BUT IT WASN'T HIS FAULT!"

Kaoru sighed as a black-haired, three-year-old girl raced into the kitchen, where she was attempting to put together that night's dinner. She still wasn't as good as her husband at making a meal, but it was passable, and at least she didn't burn everything, like she initially had.

"What is the problem, Kenko?" she turned and addressed her daughter with the motherly patience that she had taken so long to learn.

"Kenji hurt Uncle Yahiko!" exclaimed the girl, her tiny kimono sleeves flapping as she waved her arms around, trying to explain. "Uncle Yahiko was practising, but then Aunt Tsubame came to visit, and Uncle Yahiko put down his shinai, and Kenji fell over the shinai, and fell into Uncle Yahiko and Aunt Tsubame, and they fell over, but Uncle Yahiko pushed Aunt Tsubame away, but then he fell off the veranda!" Kenko finished, panting at the long sentence.

_It seems there's never a dull moment at the Himura Dojo…_ With an internal smile, Kaoru rinsed her hands and picked up the bucket that sat by the kitchen door for times such as these. Yahiko was unlikely to be injured, but it was better to take it, just in case.

Kenko grabbed her hand, and pulled her towards the front of the dojo. Kaoru had to slap her hand over her mouth when she saw the scene presented.

Yahiko had indeed fallen off the veranda. What Kenko had failed to mention was that it was into the rock-garden. The swordsman, now twenty-one, had excellent reflexes, but the rock garden contained some rather slippery stones. It also contained a pair of long, oval rocks balancing on their ends.

Or rather, it was supposed to. Currently, one was on its side, and the other was balanced on Yahiko's stomach. Tsubame had almost succeeded in pulling it off. He had obviously careened into one of the vertical rocks, slipped as he tried to catch himself, and the other of the pair had fallen on him.

With a last heave, Tsubame pulled the stone off, and turned to Kaoru, as she knelt beside her younger brother. "Will he be alright?" she asked anxiously.

"Of course," replied the older woman, as she loosened the front of Yahiko's gi, and began checking for potential injuries. Satisfied that there was nothing major, she carefully lifted his head, and began to move him carefully out of his lumpy resting-place.

"Kaoru? What's the… how did Yahiko end up in the rock-garden?" Kenshin asked as he came in the dojo gate, carrying a pole with buckets of miso hanging off its ends.

Kenko immediately tried to explain, her little mouth moving as fast as it could. "Daddy! Kenji knocked over Uncle Yahiko, and he fell in the rock garden, but it wasn't Kenji's fault, he fell over Uncle Yahiko's shinai, and… and… now Uncle Yahiko's hurt, and he's all still…!" The little girl wailed, bursting into noisy, childish tears.

Her father came over to where his wife was still moving the unconscious young man, placed the miso down, and gathered the black-haired girl into his arms. "Quiet down, Kenko-hime, and tell me a little slower," he said quietly.

"Kenji…" sniff, "fell over…" sniff, "Uncle Yahiko's…" sniff, sniff, "shinai… and Uncle Yahiko fell over…" sniff.

Kenshin wiped away his daughter's tears with the sleeve of his gi. "I can see what happened now, that I can. Don't worry, if it wasn't Kenji's fault, we shan't punish him."

"Really, Daddy?" The little face instantly brightened, and the purple eyes, so like Kenshin's own, sparkled up at her father. "I didn't want Kenji to get in trouble!"

Kenshin's head lifted for an instant, and his eyes caught Kaoru's. He knew that she had been listening in, and a spark of amusement at the behaviour of children fled between them, before Kenshin turned his attention back to Kenko.

"Owww…" a groan rose from Yahiko, and the woman shifted back from her younger brother as Tsubame rushed forwards.

"Yahiko? Can you hear me? Are you alright?" The young woman's voice was anxious.

"Ow… yeah, I'm just…" Yahiko replied, trying to sit up. "Argh!" he collapsed back, Tsubame catching his head before it hit the ground. "No… my middle section… feels like it's about to… come loose from… from the rest of my body…" he grunted, his words sharp with pain.

Kaoru sighed gently. "That's because you just had _that_ land on your stomach…" she said, pointing to the oval stone lying near Yahiko's feet.

"Um. Yeah. Remember that… landing on me…" replied her brother, still grunting as the tender spot moved unintentionally.

Kenshin, handing Kenko to Kaoru, knelt by Yahiko, and warned him, "Hold on to my shoulders." Then he slipped his arms under the young man's shoulders and knees, and with a quick, hard thrust, lifted Yahiko.

Followed by the whole group, he carried the young man to his room, and laid him on the futon. Tsubame knelt down to tend to him, as the couple rose. "I'll get some cold water to cool that, so it doesn't bruise," Kaoru said to Tsubame as she shut the shoji.

Kenshin rolled his shoulders around, carefully massaging the muscles. "He's much heavier than when I last carried him." he remarked. The last time he had carry Yahiko was two years ago, when the young swordsman had taken around twenty yakuza all by himself, in defence of Tsubame. He had acquitted himself well, but had had his leg injured so that he couldn't walk. Tsubame had run to get Kenshin's help, and the older swordsman had carried him back to the dojo.

"Yes. He's gained a lot more muscle since then, really filled out," replied his sister, proudly. _Yahiko looks like a man now,_ she mused, stroking Kenko's head. _It's no wonder Tsubame's attracted to him. I wonder how long she'll last as a geisha…?_ The young woman had also bloomed, and the pretty girl, now nineteen, had become a beauty. She had become a full-fledged geisha at the age of seventeen, a year earlier than Kaoru had. Currently, she had a wealthy danna, and was doing well, though not spectacularly, as a geisha.

After getting cool water and cloths, they strolled back into the kitchen. Kaoru rescued the miso from burning, and began setting out the dishes, ready for the night's dinner, putting aside a tray to take to Yahiko. Sano was out somewhere – unsurprisingly enough, considering – but she set aside a small amount, in case the man should come back late, wanting something to eat.

Three members of the Himura family were halfway through dinner when the shoji slid open a fingerlength. Red hair and a single violet eye could be seen in the gap, and Kenshin looked up and caught his son's eye. "Why don't you come in, Kenji? Don't worry, you're not going to be punished for what happened this afternoon."

"It's okay, Kenji! Mummy said that too!" piped Kenko, but a finger to Kaoru's lips quieted her, and she occupied herself with eating, watching her brother over the rim of her bowl.

Kaoru began ladling out another bowl of rice, and placed it down on the full tray. Then, as the four-year-old inched in the shoji, she gently asked, "Where were you this afternoon, Kenji? I was worried." Kenshin could hear the thread of anxiety in her voice, and knew that she was telling the truth. She worried over the children – _sometimes too much,_ he thought, _but it's in her nature to worry about those she cares about._

The boy's mumble was barely audible as he picked up his rice-bowl, and began eating. "Um… went to see Uncle Aoshi."

Kaoru's face loosened in perceptible relief, and Kenshin felt her tense chi relax as she took in that even though her son had gone to sulk, he had gone to a safe place.

_Speaking of Aoshi…_ "I notice that you've been visiting Aoshi a lot, in the last little while." Kenshin remarked, seemingly casually. He saw the boy tense slightly, his chopsticks pausing. "What have you been doing there so often?"

The guileless violet eyes that flickered to his were apprehensive, but the boy's honest personality showed when he muttered, "Uncle Aoshi's giving me training."

Kenshin's eyes flickered to Kaoru's, and her tiny nod replied to his unasked question: _Yes, he asked me for training._ The redhead's eyebrows shot up, but he smoothed his expression and turned back to the boy. "Kenji, why did you go to Aoshi for training?"

"Mum didn't want to give me lessons yet…" was the shamefaced reply, the little red head ducking sorrowfully.

"Was the training your idea?" Kenshin's voice was stern, and the boy looked up, confusion on his face.

"No… I told Aunt Misao that Mum didn't want to start training me, and she said to Uncle Aoshi that Owina… Oniwa… Oniwaban… Oniwabanshuu… training would be good for me. He said something about a little girl being eager to learn," the confusion on the boy's face deepened, "…And then said he would."

Kenshin smiled at the boy's answer. It was obvious that even though the Okashira knew how to quiet Misao, he didn't know how to refuse her anything. _Ah well… any man with a young, beautiful wife would be the same,_ he thought, smiling fondly over at Kaoru for a moment.

Misao and Aoshi had been married shortly after the incident with the Kokuryukai. Together, they had reformed the Oniwabanshuu – the group of ninjas that had been under Aoshi's command when he was with the Kokuryukai. Aoshi's former lieutenants – Han'nya, Shikijou, Beshimi, and Hyottoko – had become the prime members, and they were recruiting more men and women as they carried out secret work for the government.

Kaoru's gentle laugh turned both red heads towards her. "Very well… it seems that you have your father's fighting spirit, Kenji." Her eyes twinkled over at her husband. "I shall begin your training next week."

The boy's eyes lit up, as Kaoru continued, "I began training when I was four, actually… I don't know why I didn't start sooner!" As Kenji began to bounce excitedly on his cushion, his mother smiled.

"Can I keep training with Uncle Aoshi, Mum? Please? It's fun!"

Kaoru's eyebrows rose at the description of being with Aoshi as 'fun', but then thought, _He has mellowed a bit… he's not nearly as cold as he used to be…_ so she replied, "Yes, you may."

"Thanks, Mum!" exclaimed Kenji, and dove back into eating, fighting his little sister for a particular piece of fish.

Kenshin smiled, and then said, "Well, now that is worked out, I shall get the tea, that I shall." He rose gracefully, and padded out of the room, returning a minute later with a steaming pot of green tea. As he placed it down, Kaoru sniffed appreciatively at the herbal scent. Then, her expression changed, and her face tinted slightly green. Slapping a hand over her mouth, she sprinted off in the direction of the toilet.

Shock plastered itself over three faces, and then, with a speculative grin, Kenshin rose, saying to the children, "Don't worry, we will be back soon," and followed his wife out of the room.

Kenji and Kenko watched their father go out of the room, looked at each other quizzically, then shrugged and went back to eating.

Kaoru dryly heaved again, her stomach protesting that there wasn't anything else to throw up. A pair of cool hands slipped around her head, gently smoothing her temples and brushing her hair back. As she sat back on her heels, a cup of water was passed into her hands.

"You've only been sick at the smell of tea at two times, that you have," said Kenshin as she rinsed out her mouth, ridding it of the foul taste of bile.

Kaoru nodded wordlessly, thinking. _They're nearly two months overdue…_

"How long since you had your monthlies?" he asked, gently stroking her cheek, comfortingly.

The woman was looking down at her hands, counting on her fingers. When she eventually raised her head, a slight wrinkle between her brows. "They're two, almost three, months overdue… So it's possible… I just didn't want to hope needlessly…"

"You are not," replied her husband, a bright smile on his face. "I have sensed changes in your chi. From what you have said, you are around three months pregnant, that you are."

A frown adorned Kaoru's face as she looked up at Kenshin. "You mean you have known that I was pregnant, and you _didn't think to tell me!_"

"Er – ah… yes – no… I mean, I didn't…" Kenshin stuttered, unsure of how to reply, and realising that he had slipped up.

A wry grin adorned his wife's face as she said, "Well, at least I don't have to worry that I'm pregnant… but I know I'll worry over the health of the child…" She rose, and turned towards the doorway, to go back to the dining room.

"Our daughter is very healthy, from what I can tell," said Kenshin, thinking to reassure her. A second passed, then Kaoru turned back, face thunderous. _Oh no, I did it again…_

"You _know _that we're going to have a daughter!"

Once again, Kenshin's reply was stuttered and uncertain. "Err… the chi sense – the sense is different – I remember from when you were carrying Kenko… and it's different from Kenji… and… er –" He was so badly trying to correct his blunder that he missed Kaoru's soft, "It doesn't matter…"

Eventually, he realised that Kaoru was ignoring him, a soft, radiant smile on her face as she caressed her belly. "Hello, little one, my daughter," she said softly.

_I forgot how mercurial her moods were…_ thought Kenshin, ruefully remembering some of the mood swings she had had when pregnant with Kenji and Kenko. _I don't mind though. Just so long as she and the girl are healthy…_ A glowing smile lit his amber-amethyst eyes. "Would you like to go back to dinner, or would you like to go and lie down?"

"I think I'll go back to dinner… just keep the tea away from me…" replied Kaoru. Then another thought occurred to her. "Should we tell Kenji and Kenko?"

Kenshin considered a moment. "I think so."

The two children had consumed all of their food, and were starting in on their parents', when the two adults returned. As Kenshin removed the offending tea, Kenko bounced up, and went to hug her mother, chattering concernedly. "Mummy, are you alright? Why did you go green?"

Kaoru gently hugged the little girl, and went to sit down, settling her daughter in her lap. "Yes, I'm well, Kenko-hime. But I might be having a baby."

Both children's faces lit up, and Kenji bounded over to perch beside Kaoru, while Kenko turned in her mother's lap to look at her. "Really, Mummy?" was her wide-eyed question. "Really?" was Kenji's similar response.

At Kaoru's nod, they bounced up and down, obviously overjoyed. Kenko immediately began chattering. "Yay! Sakura's mummy had a baby, and she's all small and pink and pretty! And her mummy lets her help with the baby, and I want to help too, and can I help too? I think I can help! I'm a big girl, I'm three, can't I help? I'd be good at it…"

Kaoru's chuckle stopped the little girl. "Of course you can, Kenko-hime. But it won't be for a while yet."

"Now, it's bathtime for both of you," added Kenshin, returning. "Come on, you need to be nice and clean before you go to bed tonight – It's a big day tomorrow, that it is."

The late-morning sun's rays shone into the dojo's main bedroom. Kaoru sat by Megumi, as her 'elder sister' stared across the room at a kimono rack.

"I can't believe it… it's finally time…" the fox-woman had been in somewhat of a daze for the whole morning, since she had entered the room and seen the shiro-maku kimono on the rack.

"Megumi," said Kaoru, for once more practical than her friend, "You're getting married to Sano. Today. Within an hour. If we can get you into that kimono. So please, come_ out_ of this daze."

Maroon eyes flickered open and shut a few times, then the fox-woman snapped, "I was just thinking…"

The shoji slid open, and Misao entered, chattering before she had even fully entered the room. "Has she finally returned to the Earth, Kaoru? She was floating somewhere around the moon when I went away… And is she in the kimono yet? It's going to be hard to do that wedding-pattern obi…"

"I'm… just… just wonderful, Misao," replied Megumi, somewhat tartly. "I've been looking forward to this day for… well, since Sano proposed! I've been preparing too! I have an entire new makeup set… I have a new face cream, too." Going to the table, she sorted through the various pots, eventually coming up with one. She walked back, untwisting the cap from a jar. "Doesn't it smell nice?" She waved the jar under Misao's nose. At the scent of the makeup, the woman blanched, and clapped a hand over her mouth, rushing out of the room.

A slight, enquiring smile spread across Kaoru's face as she recalled her behaviour the night before. _I wonder…_

When the ninja woman re-entered the room, she was uncharacteristically quiet, and Kaoru spoke before she did. "How many months, Misao?"

"_What!_" The young woman's head flicked up, and she looked Kaoru hard in the eyes. The older woman caught a flicker of apprehension in Misao's eyes, before she asked again.

"How far along are you? I did exactly the same thing last night, don't think you can fool me."

Misao went brilliant red. "I'm not – I mean, I'm fine – I mean, far along? – I mean…" she stuttered, for once unable to say anything.

Megumi snickered. "So the weasel-girl is finally pregnant!" Then the rest of Kaoru's statement registered. "Wait a minute… did you say that you did the same thing? You're pregnant, too?"

The gentle duck of Kaoru's head and stroking of her hand across her abdomen answered the question as well as any words could.

"_Really!_" Misao sounded incredibly relieved, then immediately launched into the thousand questions she had. "I have no idea what to do… can you _please_ help me? I mean, I'm four months along, but nothing's showing! Is that normal? And what about being sick all the time? Does that harm the child? And is it normal to be sick every morning? Aoshi was very worried about that… should I see a doctor? What about…"

"Wait, wait, Misao," interrupted Kaoru. "We can discuss this later. For now, we have to get Megumi to her wedding!"

_I've waited for so long…_ thought Sano as he knelt opposite Megumi, the sake set with its three cups between them.

The priest shook the cleansing harai-gushi above them, murmuring the prayer for the kami's blessing on the two who were to be joined.

Megumi's thoughts were the same. She had had to endure another four years as a geisha, for the okiya mistress would not let her most successful geisha in years go. It had been scarcely a month after Kenshin and Kaoru's wedding that Sano had asked her to marry him, but though Sano had offered to _double_ the two-thousand-ryo recompense, Naoe had refused. Shrewdly, she had anticipated Sano's actions, and had calculated that Megumi would earn at least four times the recompense if she kept her for another three years.

And so, since Megumi had just had her twenty-sixth birthday, Naoe had agreed that when the geisha reached her thirtieth birthday, she would be released.

It had been Megumi's birthday scarcely a week ago. _I think that's a little ironic,_ she mused briefly. _I reach two milestones at the same time…_

The miko setting the sake jug before her snapped her out of her reverie, and she picked up the jug with practiced ease.

Except that her hands were ever-so-slightly shaky when she held the smallest cup out to Sano.

His gentle smile as he sipped the sake warmed her heart, and she found her nervousness melting as the alcohol warmed her throat.

_Megumi… don't worry…_ was Sano's thought, and he tried to get the wish to carry in his eyes as he sipped at the medium-sized cup, and handed it to her.

When Megumi took her drink from the largest dish, the drink that sealed them in matrimony, her shaking had entirely stopped, and as Sano reached for her hand as they burnt the symbolic sakaki, her grip was firm and sure.

Platters were spread over the floor, food appealingly arranged on them. The wedding party chatted and laughed as they ate, the mood effervescent. There was a feeling of relief and joy tangible in the air, for this day had been a long time in the making.

Tae went to the kitchen to get another tray of sushi. When she came back, in addition to the sushi, she had a puzzled expression and a platter of rather odd-looking balls. "Does anyone know what this is?"

She set it down in the centre of the circle, and a sickly-sweet scent wafted out from it. Kenji and Kenko, with the typical insatiable appetite of children, immediately reached forwards and grabbed one of the morsels. But two other faces went pale, and Kaoru and Misao sprang up, sprinting out of the room.

Everyone's eyes followed them, and Tsubame asked, "Why did they do that?"

Megumi snickered at the obvious confusion on the young woman's face. "Because pregnant women tend to feel sick at the slightest provocation."

All jaws except Kenshin's and Aoshi's dropped. "_What!_" "But… I thought…" "What?" "_Pregnant!_" were the various stunned replies, linked to either one or other of the women. The two children's eyes were wide, but they didn't say anything.

Then Sano snickered in much the same way his new wife had. "So Kenshin and Aoshi have been busy boys, have they?" Kenshin ducked his head, reddening. Aoshi shot a frosty glare at the rooster-headed man.

Before Sano could further tease either man, Kaoru returned to the room, wiping moisture off her mouth. "Aoshi… I think you ought to see to Misao. She needs help." A frown flickering across his face, Aoshi rose, and slipped out the shoji.

When Aoshi returned, it was with a still-slightly-green Misao. The bride, concerned, asked if she wanted to borrow a futon, to which Misao shook her head emphatically. "Just get that tray of… whatever-it-is… _out_ of my sight."

"Ah, yes… I'll do it…" Tae shuffled forwards, and picked up the tray, whisking it away with practiced swiftness. Kenji protested, grabbing another three of the sweet balls before the platter was out of reach.

The two ninjas settled down, Misao resting her head lightly on Aoshi's shoulder. An expression that was somewhere between tiredness and annoyance was displayed on her face. _I wish I hadn't had to rush out of the room like that… it makes it so obvious…_

The expression softened as Kenko enquired, "Aunt Misao, are you going to have a baby too?", and the woman quietly replied, "Yes, Kenko, I am. You can look after him when he's born, just like your mother will let you look after your little sister when she's born." She flicked a look at Kaoru, hoping that this was the case. The elder woman's minute nod indicated that it was.

A slight frown creased Yahiko's forehead as the young man picked up the definite referral to the sexes of the two unborn children. "How do you know that you two are going to have a son, and that they," – pointing to Kenshin and Kaoru – "are going to have a daughter?"

Misao winced. "Ooops, wasn't supposed to say that, but anyway, it's because of chi. The sense is different when a woman is pregnant, it's got a kind of… bulge… to it, and in that is the child's chi, protected by the mother's. But you can tell if the child is a boy or girl if you can work past the mother's protection. I was the first one to know that I was pregnant, I found out when I was meditating. It's an odd feeling, to know that you're carrying something so small, so helpless…" for once, Misao stopped her chatter on her own, her hand falling to her belly, a gentle smile on her face.

In an entirely uncharacteristic gesture, Aoshi slipped an arm around her waist, pulling her close.

Echoing Aoshi's gesture, Kenshin's arm went around Kaoru's shoulders. The woman's head came to pillow on his shoulder, and, unconsciously, she echoed Misao, hand slipping to caress her abdomen. After a few comfortable moments, Kenshin spoke.

"Three new lives are in the making… our daughter, Aoshi and Misao's son, and Megumi and Sano's new life together." He smiled around at the group; Misao's head on Aoshi's shoulder, Megumi and Sano's hands unconsciously touching, Yahiko and Tsubame sitting closer together than was proper, Tae smiling as warmly as ever, and Kenji and Kenko looking as angelic as only children can.

"It is all because Sano and I met a young geisha at a hot spring… I am so glad that I did, that I am. Through that single chance meeting, I met the woman I love, and gained very good friends." His arm tightened around Kaoru's shoulders.

"I am glad that Kaoru tamed Battousai.

"I am glad that I asked her to marry me and teach at the dojo.

"I think that I am even glad for the Kokuryukai… if we hadn't encountered them, we would never have met Aoshi and Misao, and they would not have been set free."

_Most of all, I'm glad that I was finally able to become whole again… _said his mind, and he sent out a silent thanks to Tomoe, wherever she was. Then, recalling what Tomoe had said when she made him whole, he thought again. _Kaoru, my true equal… my other half…_

_I am glad I told her everything… revealed all of myself._

Bending quickly, he laid a light kiss on her lips, though everyone could see. Kaoru's smile as he broke off reduced the world to just the two of them.

"I am glad that I revealed my all to you." he whispered.

Kaoru's reply was low and sweet. "I accept your all. And I always will."

* * *

**Author's Notes:** _Now_ it's finally finished… /sobs/

Battousai: Never mind, Nix-chan. I'll torture you into doing another story soon enough. /pats her on the back/

…is it just me, or did that sound evil? Anyhow… once again, a chronic overdose of meringue. I am not intending to give you cavities… but it may happen, unintentionally…

The SxM in this chapter is almost entirely due to Crewel pleading me (by review and e-mail) to let the two of them get married. I really wanted it too… and when she and others requested it, I couldn't refuse… I'm a sucker for meringue of any type…

I would like to apologize to anyone disappointed by this epilogue. It may seem a little redundant in view of last chapter, and a little bit of a letdown after it. However, epilogues are supposed to be the little add-ons that the author couldn't bear to let go, and this is the way I would like the story to end. I truly, truly believe that Kenshin and Kaoru (and others) deserve their happy endings – or should that be happy beginnings?

**Review Replies: **Thanks to all my reviewers!

inuyasha/kenshin gurl – Great! I'm glad you like it… here's the epilogue for you!

half-breed-demon-fox – No probs, demon-fox! I was just wondering! I shall give you more stories… there's one in the works right now!

Peachie-Chan – I said there wasn't going to be a sequel… ages ago. And there isn't going to be one. I may play around with AU worlds, but there's very unlikely to be another TRA. But as for following my stories… thanks!

Crisa Rei – Arigato! And why is milk soft? …I mean, it is lovely, but why soft? …Yes, food is on my mind far too often too!

DakBug – Not quite over! There's the epilogue! I realised that I had a few loose ends left… /winces/ Sorry, sequel isn't going to happen… But if you want to know when I write new stories, then Author Alert is a great thing!

Battousai: Meaning she has been known to forget to e-mail people who requested it…

/glares at Muse/ Anyhow, arigato gozaimasu/bows/

Crewel – I'm sure you'll be happy with this… Sano and Megumi finally got married/cheers/ But I do have another SxM fic in production… I'm not sure how successful it's going to be, but… oh well… look forward to it, anyhow!

Thefunnymonkey – Arigato gozaimasu! I hope to see you in my next fic!

reader00 – Arigato! Thanks for reviewing!

RangerDo'Urden – Here's the epilogue! Actually, this isn't my first fic… go to my Author Profile, and you'll see another three there (only one's RK, the other two are FullMetal Alchemist). See what you think!

skenshingumi (for all reviews) – Thanks very much for reading! Chapter 4: I was rather dubious about posting that chapter, but I'm glad that you like what's happening! I totally agree with the KxT thing… it's okay for the Bakumatsu, but elsewhere… /growls/ Chapter 14: I'm glad that you like the blended Kenshin! He was hard/fun to write, because I had to make sure Rurouni and Battousai didn't blend into each other when they weren't supposed to! As to cliff-hangers… /winces/ Errr, yes, I do tend to do too many! Pleeeease forgive me? Chapter 17: Um… didn't really think about that… but as you can see, she's fine! Chapter 19: Thanks! Kenshin waking up… so meringuey! Chapter 24: I'm glad you liked it… and here's the epilogue.

scythe195 – I just LOVE the big thing of dialogue! So much fun! You should take up humour writing! Here's the epilogue, as per request!

Rurouni: This one didn't mind it when you stole this one's gi, scythe-dono, that this one did not/hentai grin at Kaoru, who goes red/ And this one likes both of this one's new gis, that this one does!

Battousai: Oro… Now Rurouni's being hentai… what's the world coming to?

inu-dimasalang – Puppy dog eyes will get you anything…

kitsune – No doubt you received my review by now! Here's the epilogue, and I hope it encourages you in your writing!

kenshinlover2002 – Epilogue's here! (duh!) And arigato for your compliments!

Amethyst Amber – Arigato gozaimasu… /deep bow/

Battousai: Amber-chan, she's a little stunned by the praise… but I, and my alter ego, thank you on her behalf.

tameka – I'm glad that you liked the bit with Tomoe – I think that everyone tends to underestimate either Tomoe or Kaoru (depending on which they like better). Both deserve praise and recognition. 'Battousai and Rurouni are Finally Only Kenshin' was just what I would have liked to happen, too – which is why I wrote it! Here is the epilogue for your enjoyment!

thechickenlittle – Err… I'll hand this over to Rurouni, since he was the one who received this… /looks shamefaced at the mention of fight/

Rurouni: This one likes both of this one's new gis, that this one does! And this one can assure you, chickenlittle-dono, that this one and this one's alter ego will help Nix-dono to produce another fic!

…And you're welcome for the loan of Battousai. He said he had fun with you and 'the freaky-haired guy'.

Chrono (guest appearance): You mean you _still can't remember my name!_

Battousai: I tend to forget names, unless I'm working for the person, or supposed to be killing them… /death glare/

bluediamond – Arigato gozaimasu/bows/ I'm amazed that you would find my fic compelling enough to forget reality… I mean… wow…

Battousai: Once again, she's rather stunned but the praise… but is grateful for it, I am sure.

**Final _Final_ Thanks: **To every single one of my 3? reviewers. You guys have kept me going, and inspired me to keep writing when I feel it's too hard. I love you all, for all your own special quirks and oddities that have given me something to laugh about and empathise with.

May the kaleidoscope of life show you all its colours, may you have the best of luck, and may Kami-sama's blessing be upon you.


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